Halle Bailey’s intense physical training for The Little Mermaid

Halle Bailey spent most of her time in the air rather than under the sea while filming “The little Mermaid.” In a recent interview with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on “Live With Kelly and Mark,” Bailey shared more about the intense workout routine she had to maintain to prepare for her role as Princess Ariel.

“I went through a lot of siren training because I spent a lot of time on what you call a blue screen,” Bailey told Ripa and Consuelos on May 18. “So you’d be in a harness and cables, basically, suspended in the air, and you’d have to simulate the swimming motion.” However, Bailey’s mermaid training eventually landed her in the water. “I was in the water for about half of filming as well, so it was a mix of both. All the water scenes you see: the shipwreck, me saving Jonas [Hauer-King] — all of that was in a tank and it was a lot of fun. It was hot, thank goodness, because I hate being cold. I hate cold water.”

While the workout was strenuous, there was a benefit to the early morning wake-up calls and structured exercise routine, according to Bailey. “When I was filming, I was in the best shape of my life,” she said. “It was intense, every day, gym at 4 am, then stunts, then getting in the water, it was like a lot.”

In a Q&A video posted to their YouTube channel in September, the singer and actor answered questions from fans, explaining the “intense physical training” and behind-the-scenes stunts they performed on a daily basis.

“I was in intense physical training for three months, and then every day I was on cables and a harness or I was in the water all day,” Bailey said in response to a question about what was more difficult. part of playing Ariel was. “It was super exciting, but my body was like, that was probably the hardest thing.” [part], and the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. That was the hardest part, I think, having to be so strong.”

In the trailer for Disney’s upcoming live-action film, Bailey can be seen cruising the ocean waters with a shiny, iridescent tail, performing elaborate flips and gracefully swimming through her secret grotto. Strip away CGI and green screen effects, and countless wires are involved to bring magical underwater moments to life, plus some major ones. core strength. Flying through the air with the grace of a mermaid, and without seawater to offer buoyancy, requires a lot of strength, and we have no doubt that months of filming as a half-human, half-fish would be a serious exercise. .

While the training was grueling, Bailey had a blast during filming, especially when it came to scenes in the water tank. “Shooting underwater was a lot of fun, but it was kind of brief, honestly, because most of the time I was on wires and in the air, and on what they call a fingerboard, where I was swimming in the air,” she said. “It was kind of a simulation of being in Ariel’s grotto, so that’s where I spent most of my time, but for the times when I was underwater, it was crazy. I was in a huge tank of water and they had a wave machine to go. I can’t wait until you guys actually see it so you know what I’m talking about, but I felt like I was in the middle of the ocean.”

Above, watch Bailey discuss what it was like filming as Ariel, how she managed to be away from her sister, Chlöe, for nine months while filming, and her plans for release new music.