Halle Bailey believes people will be “really proud” of the upcoming movie musical The Color Purple.

In the second movie adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Little Mermaid actress plays the young version of Nettie Harris, a character played by R&B singer Ciara.

Speaking to Glamour, Halle admitted she went into the project with nerves because Steven Spielberg’s first movie adaptation was so well received.

“The first one is so iconic you almost don’t want to touch something as precious as that, and the same with Mermaid,” she explained, before noting that she is pleased with the finished product. “I think people will be really proud of the new version.”

The 2023 version of The Color Purple is an adaptation of the Broadway stage musical and stars Fantasia Barrino as protagonist Celie Harris, Nettie’s older sister. The film depicts Celie’s struggles as a young African-American woman living in the American South during the early 1900s.

Halle, 23, explained that she received an audition request for the movie while shooting The Little Mermaid in London and put herself on tape. She learned that she had landed the role of young Nettie soon after filming wrapped on the Disney remake.

The Chloe x Halle star told Glamour that she was excited to work with the star-studded cast and have a smaller part compared to her lead role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

“I’m working with legends who I’m such fans of, like Fantasia and Taraji P. Henson,” she praised. “Also, I got to be country and talk in my Georgia, Southern accent, which was fun for me.”

The Color Purple, also starring Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, and Corey Hawkins, will be released in cinemas in December.

© Cover Media