Halle Bailey is, by her own admission, an old soul. “It’s a running joke in my family that I’ve been a grandma since I was a little girl,” says the actor and musician who may not yet be a grandma but is a mother, mind you. Sometimes Bailey herself can hardly believe she’s only 26.
She’s lived a lot of life for someone in their mid-twenties. Bailey was 13 when she and her sister Chloe were signed to Beyoncé’s music label; 17 when they released their debut album The Kids Are Alright as Chloe x Halle; and 18 when that album earned two Grammy nominations. She wasn’t yet 20 before their second, the slinky and self-assured Ungodly Hour, earned three more. That same year Bailey was announced as marine life princess Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid; the racist backlash to her casting would’ve aged anyone in her position at least 10 years.
People often think she’s younger. Her doe eyes suggest as much – big pools of emotion primed for expressing childlike (or fishlike) wonder on screen. But it’s true that she carries herself with the composure of someone born much earlier than the millennium. Bailey recalls being six years old and getting chills the first time she listened to Billie Holiday’s Lady in Satin. An old soul indeed; a more spiritual person might say she’s on her fifth life.
It has taken a while for public perception to catch up with her actual age. “This is the first time where I am playing a grown version of myself,” says Bailey of her new film You, Me & Tuscany. “This feels like the first time where I’m stepping into my womanhood. It felt cool because it reflected me now. You know, I have a baby. I do feel like I’m an official adult woman.”
None of this is to say that You, Me & Tuscany is some self-serious drama. True to its whimsical title, the film is a romcom romp set in the rolling hills of Italy. Anna-from-Atlanta crashes at an empty Italian villa by posing as the owner’s fiancée – only to fall for his dashing cousin, played by British actor Regé-Jean Page. Pasta is eaten, wine is drunk, and R&B love songs are sung a cappella.
Speaking of age, I say, is this one of those controversial age-gap relationships? At 38, Page is a good 12 years older than Bailey. “Yeah, he’s old!” she laughs, admitting that some of her Gen Z slang was lost on the Bridgerton star.
Between slo-mo shots of Page stripping off a wet button-up shirt and an enemies-to-lovers character arc based around a case of mistaken identity, the film is in many ways a by-the-numbers romcom. But in another more important way, it’s a rarity: a big, studio-backed theatrical release with two Black leads. That fact isn’t lost on Bailey. “It’s weird that it is so rare,” she says. “I feel honoured that I’m able to show other young Black girls and women and men that we deserve to see ourselves on screen. It’s a theme that’s been very prominent in the projects that I choose, or at least I try to choose.”
The most obvious being The Little Mermaid. Looking back on it now, three years after the film’s release, Bailey says it was “a beautiful experience for me – and I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learnt how to block out the noise.” Within that very diplomatic answer is an acknowledgement of the rough seas she weathered along the way as a locs-wearing Ariel – the “noise” of racists on the internet who took umbrage at a Black actor playing the role.
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Bailey found her own way of dealing with it. “How do I explain it…” she ventures. “It was actually freeing to be in the middle of this conversation where so many different opinions were coming in, and they were so opposite from one another.” Bailey took to seeing the whole thing “like an experiment”. She holds her hand in front of her face, palm up, peering at something tiny and imaginary on top of it. “I felt like I was watching myself inside a cup, seeing how people react to it.”
There it is again, a level-headedness that belies not only her young age – but also her exposure to fame at that young age. “Growing up in the industry can really develop your sense of self, and for me, it keeps me grounded in a way,” she says. “I know for some people it’s the opposite but I just always think to myself, ‘None of this is real.’” To that end, Bailey’s favourite thing to do is to immerse herself in nature. “I love feeling small, realising that the world is so big and beautiful and I’m just a tiny, tiny part of it. The fact I’m here is a blessing, and I’m grateful [to be doing music and acting], but at the same time, this is not what matters in life. What matters is keeping our feet on the ground, and holding the people we love.”
Still, it was nice to feel supported by Disney amid the #NotMyAriel controversy. It’s more than some of her peers can say – like John Boyega or Rachel Zegler, who received similar backlash for their roles in Star Wars and Snow White, respectively. Zegler and Bailey connected to offer support to one another. “Zendaya also reached out, and Ariana Grande was so nice,” Bailey confides.
“As women, I think we form a little protective bubble around each other, especially when we see a peer going through lots of opinions. Rachel was definitely one of those people. I love her,” she says. “We all understand what a vulnerable place it is to be, and at the end of the day, we are young women… we’re self-conscious… we’re insecure. I’m insecure at times, and sometimes the opinions of people can muddy your own thoughts. So it’s special to have a community who’s there to say, ‘You’re amazing. We’re here for you.’”
The Little Mermaid was more good than bad, she insists. Playing Ariel was “very impactful to the little girl in me… also I have a son, so for him to see that is really cool. Whenever he sees a mermaid, he goes ‘Mommy, mommy!’” At playgrounds, kids will come up to Bailey and ask where her tail is.
The experience also led her to her sixth Grammy nomination – this time for Best R&B song with “Angel”, her solo debut written in the aftermath of those nine months filming in London. “It was this mantra to myself to stay up, and stay confident, and be reminded that there are amazing things about you,” she says. “Everybody needs positive affirmations.” Bailey is big on guided meditation, something she confesses with a knowing laugh. “When I go to sleep, I put on these positive phrases: ‘I am love. I am good.’ I feel like we need these reminders when bad thoughts come our way.” Whatever it is, it’s working. Outside the hotel room, a maelstrom of publicists rages on; inside with Bailey, it’s pure calm.
The same year that Bailey put out a solo album, so too did her sister Chloe. The siblings – once joined at the hip, cheek-to-cheek – went their separate ways, musically at least. “It’s actually been really good for us,” says Bailey. “I do miss living together, being back in our home studio making stuff, but it’s also cool when you grow up and live your own lives. I love my sister and I’ll make music with her until the end of time. That’s my home and where I feel my safest.” Chloe is loving being an auntie, she smiles.
And as for aunties-in-spirit, Beyoncé is very much still a presence in both their lives. It was the pop star who kickstarted their careers almost 15 years ago after hearing their cover of “Pretty Hurts” on YouTube, where their following has ticked up to almost 2 million but their channel’s bio remains the same: “Just two girls who love making music in our living room.” Having someone like Beyoncé in their corner was incredible, obviously. “It makes you feel confident in your ideas because she’s acknowledging you.” Crucially, she was never overbearing. “She just let us be,” says Bailey. “She’s a very genuine human being – a nice, soft voice who will give us advice when we need it.”
Up next for Bailey is an untitled musical comedy with Jesse Eisenberg and Paul Giammatti, while off the slate is Golden, the Pharrell Williams biopic she shot together with the musician, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Brian Tyree Henry. The film was unceremoniously canned last year, a mutual decision made by the producers. “I was really excited for it, and I don’t know what happened, but I’m just happy I even got to spend that time shooting in Virginia. It was insightful to watch a legend like Pharrell up close, so that experience alone was enough for me.”
These days, Bailey adds, picking projects isn’t just about her: it’s about her son, too. “I just want to make him proud. I want to do good. I want to be a good mommy.”
‘You, Me & Tuscany’ is in cinemas from 10 April
