Marvel Superhero or Mermaid? The Insane Workouts Halle Bailey Did to Perfect Her Iconic Hair Flip

By now, The Little Mermaid star’s back might hurt from carrying the box office, but there’s no way her neck is flinching with the insane workouts she did to prep for her role.

Disney fans have finally gotten to feast their eyes on the aquatic masterpiece the cast and crew accomplished in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. With graceful mermaids and synchronized sea creatures, director Rob Marshall nailed the first-ever underwater musical. With the film in its third week as part of the human world, Disney has gradually cracked the stage door to some of the behind-the-scenes happenings on The Little Mermaid’s set.

Glimpses into the lengths Halle Bailey (Ariel) and Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric) had to reach to film water scenes in a realistic ocean tank and captures of complex CGI gear make it clear that the seamless sea scenes were anything but “bubbles” to create.

Keeping Her Head Above Water

While a recent clip shared on social media showed the 5’2” Bailey hoisting the foot-taller Hauer-King in a flaming wave pool, nothing has been quite as shocking as the contraption Bailey wore to train for Princess Ariel’s iconic hair flip.

For two years, Bailey committed to rigorous 60 to 90-minute workouts five to six times per week with ​​the London-based strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer Sana Shirvani. With delays due to COVID-19, the nine-month training session was drawn out longer and included her mer-sisters and Hauer-King.

Although the mermaids rarely leave the water, they filmed all of their scenes in the air, attached to a rig to simulate a swimming motion. Bailey didn’t have built-in mermaid grace, though—she had synchronized swimmers help her prepare for her mermaid tail. In a recent interview, Bailey said:

I actually had this beautiful training session with these amazing synchronized swimmers that would come to my house every Sunday.

The most shocking mermaid training of all was sparked by Ariel’s hair flip scene, which “took 20 takes,” according to Bailey. To hoist her water-laden locs over her head and capture the ultimate shot, Bailey trained with what could only be described as resembling a medieval torture device. The training session was shared by @PopCrave on Twitter:

Halle Bailey training for #TheLittleMermaid

Halle Bailey training for #TheLittleMermaid pic.twitter.com/zXveIGWqMF

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 5, 2023

Disney fans like Dwayne Johnson have applauded Bailey’s emotional strength and grace while confronting racist backlash, but this is the first time anyone is seeing it on a physical level. “Though she be but little, she is fierce,” and Disney fans can see Bailey’s labor of love on the big screen in Disney’s The Little Mermaid everywhere now.