The actress lost out to Halle Bailey for the lead role in the 2023 live-action Disney remake.

Marty Supreme star Odessa A’zion reveals that she blew her Little Mermaid audition: ‘I forgot the lyrics’

The actress lost out to Halle Bailey for the lead role in the 2023 live-action Disney remake.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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March 16, 2026 3:20 p.m. ET

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Odessa A'zion attends the 98th Oscars; Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's live-action 'The Little Mermaid'. Credit:

Mike Coppola/Getty; Courtesy of Disney

Odessa A'zion found herself drowning during her *Little Mermaid* audition.

The *Marty Supreme* star is recounting her "really embarrassing" attempt at landing the lead role of Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of its animated aquatic fairy tale.

"I was so nervous that I forgot the lyrics to 'Part of Your World' while I was singing it," she told *Variety* on Sunday during the Oscars red carpet. "I was doing it in Ariel's voice, like a princess voice, and then they're like, 'Just do it normal,' [and] I couldn't do it normal. I'd memorized it in that voice. I left like, that was the most embarrassing thing on planet Earth, and [I] didn't hear back, didn't get a call back."

Odessa A'zion in 'Marty Supreme.'.

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Disney officially announced in July 2019 that singer Halle Bailey had scored the coveted part of Ariel. In a statement, director Rob Marshall said, "After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role."

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed production, but *Little Mermaid* finally swam into theaters in May 2023, earning $560 million at the global box office and rave reviews for Bailey.

"In Halle Bailey, Disney and Marshall mint a new star," Maureen Lee Lenker wrote for **. "Bailey is breathtaking as Ariel. Her rendition of 'Part of Your World' transmogrifies the already classic tune into something as otherworldly as undiscovered sea life. But it's her altogether human performance that makes it impossible not to fall in love with her."

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The daughter of actress Pamela Adlon and director Felix Adlon, A'zion wasn't a known entity at the time of her *Little Mermaid *audition, but she's catapulted to stardom over the last year. She initially broke out in the HBO comedy *I Love LA*, stealing the Rachel Sennott series as rising influencer Tallulah Stiel. She's since been nominated for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role at the Actor Awards for her portrayal of *Marty Supreme*'s Rachel Mizler, the pregnant ride-or-die for ping-pong hustler Marty Mouser (Timothée Chalamet).

- Children & Family Movies

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Source: “EW Children”