Josh Gad, the actor known for his roles in Frozen and the live-action Beauty and the Beast, is speaking out against the "pathetic" people who have disliked the latest trailer for Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid,
The actor's tweet was directed specifically toward those who are upset about the casting of R&B singer Halle Bailey as the titular princess Ariel.
In a tweet, Gad called out those who are so "broken and pathetic in life" their main concern is "the skin color of a make-believe singing mermaid."
You can see Gad's tweet below.
The trailer, which made its debut during the Oscars, has been viewed more than 8.5 million times on YouTube, but has received more than 600,000 dislikes, with many of them being attributed to MAGA racists.
You can see the trailer here:
Bailey's casting has been met with backlash from some who claim that the studio chose a Black actor to play a character who appeared White in the 1989 animated classic. Bailey has faced a barrage of racist comments since her casting was announced in 2019, but has remained focused on the positives of representation onscreen.
The 22-year-old performer, a mentee of music powerhouse Beyoncé, told Face that it is "so important for us to see ourselves" and that "when you’re Black there’s this whole other community" that people don't understand.
Many appreciated Gad for speaking out and shared their own feelings on the matter.
Despite the backlash, Bailey has received praise from Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original musical, and Rachel Zegler, who will play Snow White in an upcoming Disney remake.
Gad himself has experience with controversies surrounding updated Disney films, having played LeFou in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast, a character billed as Disney's first openly gay character.
The Little Mermaid, directed by Rob Marshall and featuring four new songs written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, stars Bailey as Ariel, alongside Javier Bardem, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina.
The film is set to be released on May 26.
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