Halle Bailey on the Country That Feels Like a ‘Second Home’ to Her — and How It Ties to The Little Mermaid (Exclusive)

Halle Bailey is a world traveler!

In an exclusive chat with PEOPLE in conjunction with her partnership with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card from Chase, the 24-year-old singer-actress opens up about her favorite travel destinations — including one with which she has a special connection.

“I think there are so many places that I’ve been to that stick out in my mind, but the one that stands out would be London,” says Bailey.

“I lived there for almost a year because of the shooting of the film The Little Mermaid,” she continues, referring to her role as Ariel in the 2023 remake of the beloved Disney cartoon.

Bailey adds: “London will always have a special place in my heart. It feels like my second home.”

Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Halle Bailey.

Reid Collins

Halle Bailey says it was ‘super important’ to show off her natural hair in ‘The Little Mermaid’

Directed by Rob Marshall, The little mermaid follows Ariel, a mermaid with a love for the human world, who trades her voice for legs to learn more about the world above the ocean.

Along with Bailey, the film also stars Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

Disney has announced that Bailey – one half of sister duo Chloe x Halle – will take on the role of Ariel in July 2019.

The PEOPLE Puzzler has arrived! How fast can you solve it? Play now!

Halle Bailey in ‘The Little Mermaid’.

FlixPix / Alamy

Back in July 2021, Bailey announced the completion of filming on the film via an Instagram post, in which she included a photo of herself posing in the ocean water at sunset.

“And just like that..that’s the end ❤️after auditioning for this movie when I was 18, I was about to turn 19, until now finishing shooting through the pandemic when I turned 21..we finally made it…💖,” she wrote is in the description. “I feel so grateful to have experienced this film in its full glory.. it was the most difficult experience being away from everything and everyone I’ve ever known, feeling self-doubt/loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as I made it to the end . This experience has made me much stronger than I ever thought I could be.”

“So grateful to have such lovely and talented people in the cast like @jonahhauerking who will be my friend forever, @jacobtremblay who I am so proud of 🥺 and legends like @bardemantarctic @melissamccarthy @awkwafina @daveeddiggs who are masters of their craft , but they are so welcoming and open to little old me..as well as the rest of the wonderful cast and crew,” Bailey added at the time. “I can’t wait for time to speed up so you all can see this movie because it was made with so much love (plus blood sweat and tears) lol thank you Sardinia for the beautiful ending!!! Xoxo.”

Halle Bailey and the porter.

Reid Collins

Halle Bailey says it’s ‘amazing’ to walk in the footsteps of ‘beautiful black pioneers’ in ‘The Little Mermaid’

While London holds a special place in her heart, Bailey also tells PEOPLE that she’s a fan of other destinations around the world, including the Maldives and Cabo.

Knowing how important it is to find time to relax, especially with a group of loved ones, musician “Angel” has teamed up with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card from Chase to launch the Bold Chat Court contest, which will award 5 million Marriott Bonvoy points to 10 travelers — for a total of 500,000 points each — for those who want the final take your journey beyond the group chat.

“We can all relate to being in a group chat, whether it’s friends or family, and we’re always talking about, like, ‘Oh, let’s go here,’ ‘Let’s go here, from this date to this date,’ or, ‘ Okay, guys, let’s do it,’ and then crickets and it goes down, or somebody has an excuse,” Bailey explains. “Now there’s a way for us all to do this together through Marriott.”

Once a week, between Thursday, September 26 and Wednesday, October 30, those hoping to earn points can share an Instagram Reel describing their ideal trip, why it hasn’t happened yet and how the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card can help them book a getaway. Written contributions are also accepted.

Full details and rules for this new promotion can be found here. The little mermaid is currently available to stream on Disney+.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education