On May 26, Disney is taking audiences under the sea in the highly anticipated live-action remake of The Little Mermaid from director Rob Marshall.. From the very first D23 teaser, star Halle Bailey, who plays the iconic Ariel, has enchanted us in what could be one of the most difficult Disney classics to adapt to live-action. During the press junket, Collider’s Steve Weintraub sat down with Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric, to talk about the magic – and stunt work – behind this “colorful, beautiful spectacle.”

In the trailers, Bailey glides through the waters of Atlantica with ease, capturing the grace and fluidity of, well, a little mermaid. So much so, that fans may not realize the hard work the cast put into bringing The Little Mermaid to life. During their interview, Bailey and Hauer-King discuss the physicality of the roles, as well as the lessons learned and fears faced. They also open up about the pressure of embodying such beloved characters and special moments, and the “frightening” challenge of performing an all-new song that Bailey says shows “a deeper side of Prince Eric.” For their favorite sequences and tons more, check out the interview in the video below, or you can read along in the full transcript.
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The Little Mermaid also stars Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, a new character.

COLLIDER: First of all, let me start with congratulations. You guys did such a great job. I’m sure you’re hearing that from everyone who’s coming in, but I just want to add to the chorus. So obviously, these were roles that a lot of people wanted, and I’m just curious, ultimately, what did you pay to be in the movie?

JONAH HAUER-KING: I did about a million and a half. I think I paid Rob [Marshall], personally. You? Similar amount?

HALLE BAILEY: Yeah, yeah, I think we paid a lot to be in it [laughs].

HAUER-KING: I’m broke now. My life savings!

Image via Disney

This is one of those films that everyone grew up with, and that I would imagine that you put a lot of pressure on yourself to do these characters right, and to deliver the best performance you can, but was there a day that you were filming something that you felt you put extra pressure on yourself? Like, “Oh my God, this is moment that’s going to be forever,” you know?

BAILEY: I think for me, that day would have been the “Part of Your World” sequence, the three days of filming, because it was definitely such a song that’s been imprinted on all of our hearts for such a long time. I felt this duty to make it my own, but also live up to the original that Jodi Benson did so beautifully. I was so overjoyed that, at the end of those three days, I feel like I really was able to capture the essence of Ariel, and that desperateness and that plea for help that she was crying out for in that song, and I’m ultimately so happy with the ending result.

HAUER-KING: Yeah, actually, it was my song, too. That felt really frightening. I think you want to do justice to the amazing song that they had written, that Alan [Menken] and [Lin-Manuel Miranda] had done, and bringing a song to life for the first time, you know, “God, this can’t mess this up. I need to do this justice.” So, yeah, I think both from a musical point of view, I really wanted to do it well, and it felt like a lot of pressure, and also just the filming it, as well. We were doing it in Sardinia, and then we came and we did the end part of it in Pinewood, so it just felt like quite a big, epic sequence, and we just wanted to get it right.

Image via Disney

I can tell you that you did it right, and I’ll say why; I see a lot of press screenings and I rarely, if ever, hear people clapping during a movie at a press screening, and it happened a few times while watching this.

BAILEY: Thank you.

Oh, I didn’t clap!

HAUER-KING: [Laughs] You were like, “Get it off!”

I’m joking! So one of the things I think that people will not realize were the technical challenges of filming underwater. Obviously you’re not underwater, so can you sort of talk to people who might not understand the filmmaking aspect of what it was actually like filming those underwater sequences?

BAILEY: Well, filming the underwater sequences, like you said, were technically really challenging, but so exciting for me to play and do. I learned a lot about stunt work and being in harnesses and suspended in the air, and having to simulate a swimming motion while you’re on a blue screen in the middle of the air. And being scared of heights, like Jonah was, and trying not to think about how high up you were in the air, it was like all of those emotions and feelings. But ultimately, in the end, seeing the result was like, “Wow, it really does look like we’re in water,” and it paid off.

Image via Disney

I’m also blown away by the CGI in the film, it really looks like Rob took a camera and just put it underwater. So I have to ask you, do you have a favorite sequence from the original movie? And I’m curious what your favorite sequence is in this movie – doesn’t have to be something you were in.

HAUER-KING: Just right off the bat in this movie, I think “Under the Sea” as a sequence, especially from a CGI point of view, is so insane, it’s so beautiful. It feels very referential to a lot of Disney films of the past, like Fantasia. It’s just such a colorful, beautiful spectacle [to Bailey] with you right in the middle of it, and it feels really exciting.

From the cartoon, I loved “Kiss the Girl.” It feels like a really magical moment in the film, and so nice, and also a great dramatic moment because you’re willing them on, you’re hoping they’re gonna kiss, and it doesn’t happen and all around them, that amazing song.

Image via Disney

BAILEY: I’d agree with Jonah. “Under the Sea” is so cool to see it all come together, the VFX and CGI. Because when we were filming that, you don’t see all of that around you, you just know it’s going to be painted on after. And then a new song, “Wild Uncharted Waters,” that Jonah did is incredible, and I think audiences are gonna absolutely love it because it’s showing a deeper side of Prince Eric, and internally how he feels, and the way he is going after the things he wants, the way he is, so it’s incredible. I think that is also one of my favorite new sequences in the film.

The Little Mermaid makes waves in theaters on May 26! In the meantime, see what Daveed Diggs, who plays Sebastian, has to say about his co-star, Halle Bailey, in our interview below, and be on the lookout for more interviews with The Little Mermaid cast!