The Iconic Redhead Who Wanted To Portray Ariel In The Live Action Little Mermaid

Let's be honest. Who hasn't wanted to be friends with a lobster named Sebastian, have an iridescent mermaid tail, and dance under the sea to calypso music? The original animated film "The Little Mermaid" hit theaters in 1989, won two Oscars for its music, and kicked off Disney's revived reputation for making cartoon movies that people actually wanted to see. 

Fast forward a few decades, and Disney has started a new tradition of creating live-action versions of their most popular animated films. After the success of "Cinderella," in 2015, everyone wondered what would be next. In 2016, Disney shared that "The Little Mermaid" was on the docket, and fans immediately began contemplating who would play each character, especially Ariel.

Zendaya, Ariana Grande, and Hailee Steinfeld were just a few of the names thrown into the ring. And, of course, there was one iconic redhead that had tons of votes: Lindsay Lohan. "The staff of Cosmopolitan.com will not rest until this becomes a reality. #LiLoForAriel all day, every day," the magazine hilariously railed at the time. As it turns out, Lohan herself couldn't agree more.

Lindsay Lohan has expressed her love of "The Little Mermaid" on multiple occasions. In an interview with Variety, she revealed the film has always been a favorite, noting, "Whenever I put that movie on, it makes me happy." This could be because Lohan feels a kinship with her fellow famous redhead, Ariel. And, when Disney announced that they were contemplating a live-action version of the movie, Lohan took notice. 

She told Habertürk TV emphatically, "I would love to play 'The Little Mermaid' one day." And although she has since edited her Instagram account, Lohan lobbied for the role in multiple posts too. W magazine reported that the actor once posted an image of Ariel, captioning it, "My dream role." In another post, according to E! News, she shared a photo of herself and the animated character, writing "I will sing again, as #ariel #thelittlemermaid. @disney approve that."

Likewise, when Lea Michele was chosen to play the part in the 2019 live performance, at The Hollywood Bowl, she commented simply "Huh?" on the announcement post. While Lohan has yet to don a fishtail — Disney ultimately cast Halle Bailey as Ariel in the 2023 version of "The Little Mermaid" — she has continued to show off her natural red locks in a variety of projects.  

Lindsay Lohan took a bit of a break from acting when she moved to London, then made Dubai her home base. However, she never gave up on her career. "I love acting. It's my passion," Lohan clarified to Variety. The former teen star subsequently appeared in "Falling for Christmas," on Netflix, and has signed on to do two more films with the streaming service. 

In addition, she released the single "Back to Me" in 2020, including a remix featuring Nicki Minaj. Not one to sit idle, the "Mean Girls" star also started her own podcast in 2022, entitled "The Lohdown with Lindsay Lohan." In her introduction to the podcast, she declared, "I want The Lohdown to be a place where you can get to know me, the 100% authentic me."

And, of course, her biggest production to date is becoming a mom. Lohan announced her pregnancy on Instagram with a "Coming Soon" onesie, and the caption, "We are blessed and excited."  As for what's next, Lohan told Variety, "I think goals are limitless, and there's always going to be something new that I want to do. I just want to make people happy, and I want to stay happy."