The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey And Jonah Hauer-King Play Knowing Me Knowing You

To paraphrase Sebastian the crab, the human world can be a mess, which is why we often turn to fantastical films for some much-needed escapism. Disney's 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid delivers exactly that, with a star-studded cast which includes Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Daveed Diggs as much-loved royal right hand man, Sebastian, and led by Halle Bailey as the endlessly-inquisitive sea princess, Ariel.

The buzz surrounding The Little Mermaid has been building since 2019, when Bailey (one half of singing duo, Chloe x Halle) was confirmed to play the titular character, alongside Jonah Hauer-King's Prince Eric (this time with a more fulfilling backstory than in the animated version and his own song, of course).

With her dulcet tones and unimpeachable charm, Bailey brought Ariel to life amid the captivating underwater world while 'human heartthrob' (in Ursula's words, but we're inclined to agree) Hauer-King gave extra dimension to the Disney prince. Loyal fans of the original need not worry; despite the added songs and sub-plots, the remake manages to stay remarkably true to the 1989 version - there's even a cameo by Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the animation.

In a game of Knowing Me Knowing You with ELLE UK, Bailey recalled he very first time meeting her mentor Beyoncé. 'I met her when I was younger, around like five years old because my sister had played a younger version of her in a film,' said Bailey. 'We have little memories of her [and] of hugging her when we were little girls.' The Renaissance singer became a mentor to the sisters after she shared a video of Chloe x Halle's rendition of Pretty Hurts which subsequently went viral and led them to sign with Beyoncé's record label.

While Bailey likely has Queen B on speed dial, Hauer-King said that footballer Ian Wright is his dream pub buddy. 'I always see him in the pub actually, I'm not going to say where it is because I don't want him to get bombarded by people,' said the self-professed Arsenal fan. 'He's also hilarious, really smart and cool, and would have lots of good stories.'

There's nothing quite like a big-budget Disney remake to catapult actors into A-list territory. But when it comes to the habits they just can't break, Bailey admits to picking her gel nails off during moments of anxiety, while Hauer-King finds himself drifting into Camden's many eateries after a night out. 'I can't go pass the fast food places in Camden where I live without going in to get a second dinner,' he shared.

Watch the full Knowing Me Knowing You video at the top of this article.

The Little Mermaid is out in cinemas now.

Medina Azaldin

Beauty Editor, ELLE and Harper's Bazaar UK

Medina Azaldin is the beauty editor of ELLE and Harper's Bazaar UK, working across print and digital features. She has more than seven years journalism experience and has previously written for Red and Good Hoousekeeping. When she's not demystifying the latest skincare ingredient, sniffing out the next big perfume trend or uncovering the science behind wellness practices, you'll most likely find her in Hatchards Piccadilly or watching a crime series with her cats. Oh, and she's a competitive cheerleader, too.