halle bailey I shed tears after receiving the compliment. Sterling K. Brown and his wife, Ryan Michelle Bassat 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Brown, best known for his roles in 'This Is Us' and 'Black Panther,' recently attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards and was recognized for his supporting role in 'American Fiction.'
Bailey was also in attendance and nominated for 'The Color Purple' in the Best Ensemble Performance in a Motion Picture category. At one point during the event, the two faced each other and had a very emotional exchange filled with praise and respect.
Sterling K. Brown Praises Halle Bailey at SAG Awards
It all started when Bailey opened up to ET's Nischelle Turner about her feelings for the 'This Is Us' star, who she was just feet away from at the time, prompting Turner to interrupt Brown's interview so the two could meet. .
After Turner got Brown's attention, the 'Black Panther' star approached and began swearing at the 'Little Mermaid' actress, which left Bailey in tears.
“She’s lovely,” Brown said of Bailey. She represented really well for us. I mean, we cried at the end because you were so beautiful. Your soul is beautiful and your talent shines. If you do it and you're bad, no one will mess around. But you killed it!”
Brown also talked about Bailey's groundbreaking performance as Ariel in the live-action reinterpretation of the 1989 Disney classic “The Little Mermaid,” which was released last year. Then Brown's wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe, also joined in and praised Brown.
“No, you don’t understand, but I watched that movie every day from the age of 12 to 16 and it was so -” Bathe told Bailey, holding back tears.
It's clear that all three have the utmost respect for each other, as the touching moment caught the attention of many fans.
Halle Bailey's breakthrough role in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'
Halle Bailey made headlines for her role as a Disney princess, receiving praise and support from many fans and actors. Speaking about her own acting and what it meant to her to portray Ariel as a black woman, she said: “I loved Brandi as Cinderella. She was truly amazing. “When I took on the role of Ariel, she became a role model and inspiration, and it became a really great learning point.”
“I saw how well she played the role, how comfortable she was, and how much of an impact it had on the audience and young girls like me who were watching it. And then there's the truly excellent Anika Noni Rose. I had a chance to meet her and we got to sing her song [The Princess and the Frog’s] The song we sang together, ‘Almost There’ [2022’s Disney Family Singalong] With my brother. “She was always so kind!”
The 23-year-old concluded: “But there are beautiful black women pioneers who have done this before and have helped me say, ‘Yes, I can do this too.’”
Disney's live-action reimagining of 'The Little Mermaid' starring Halle Bailey is now streaming on Disney+.