Halle Bailey Gets Vulnerable About Career, Baby Halo During ESSENCE Speech
Bailey shared that her experience in the industry has brought her to "a place of protection."
(Paras Griffin via Getty Images for ESSENCE)
Los Angeles — The singer-actress and now new mom bared her soul about being a Black woman in entertainment and motherhood during an acceptance speech Thursday at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
She touched on the backlash she received when cast as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” stating that the criticism wasn’t performance-based, but solely on the color of her skin.
“During one of my proudest moments being cast as Ariel, that’s when I discovered two things about being Black in Hollywood. It can be unfair and it can expose you to criticism just for being you. Not because you’re a bad actor or you’ve given a poor performance, but just because you look like you do,” she said.
The “Color Purple” actress also talked about her “biggest joy,” her son Halo.
"There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone. Halo was my gift. He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that. … With the state of the world and the place it is in with men trying to force their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and for damn sure, no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world," she said.