Meet Jonah Hauer-King, The Little Mermaid's dashing prince: the British actor beat Harry Styles for the Disney role, went to Eton College like Prince Harry, and had instant chemistry with Halle Bailey. The Little Mermaid hit theatres on May 26 and Prince Eric's actor Jonah Hauer-King is grabbing much of the fanfare.
Jonah Hauer-King is far from being a poor, unfortunate soul. The relative newcomer scored the role of Prince Eric in the live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid opposite Halle Bailey's Ariel. Hauer-King serves as the movie-musical's primary love interest — a role Harry Styles reportedly passed on.
Harry Styles Wasn't Cast as Little Mermaid's Prince Eric in Because He Wanted to Do “Darker Movies" When Disney announced its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, one actor in particular was rumored to be in the running for Prince Eric: Harry Styles.
Disney's live-action “The Little Mermaid” had “no agenda” when it came to the casting of Ariel, director Rob Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. The “Chicago” and “Into the Woods” director said his team auditioned “every ethnicity” for the role before landing on singer Halle Bailey.
Who Should Play Prince Eric in Disney's The Little Mermaid??
Was Zendaya supposed to play Ariel?
Fellow Disney (and Spider-Man: Far From Home and Euphoria) star Zendaya, who was once rumored to play Ariel, tweeted the casting news saying that she's here for it. And Bailey herself, from her music group's account, tweeted that the chance to play Ariel is a dream come true.
Director Rob Marshall had auditioned the crème de la crème of young Hollywood for the role, and even Zendaya was rumored to have read for the part. But it was movie newcomer Bailey who won the coveted lead.
Why did Styles turn down Disney's live-action “The Little Mermaid” remake? According to Marshall, the reason was twofold: He wanted to take on darker films and didn't want to be in a musical as he made the jump from pop star to actor.
"For a lot of young musical people like Harry, you're trying to carve your way and you don't wanna be seen as a singer, necessarily," Marshall continued. "That's why he was really looking to do something not in the musical genre, to really stretch himself.
In the animated movie, when King Triton gives Ariel back her human form, she walks right into Eric's arms. But, for the new version, Eric can be seen missing Ariel at the palace while playing with Max, and she sneaks up on him. It's such a small change, but really shows how much Eric loves Ariel as he hugs her.
In the live-action version, all of that changes. We learn that Eric, now played by John Hauer-King, is not a prince by birth— he was adopted by the king and queen. It's suggested that Eric's biological parents died in a shipwreck.
How much did Halle Bailey get paid for The Little Mermaid?
It's believed that Bailey made about $1.5 million for her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but that number could increase depending on how well the film performs opening weekend and beyond.
In this novel, Ursula is King Triton's younger sister who was betrayed by him as a child for choosing a tentacled form instead of a mermaid's tail, and grew up as a human in the town of Ipswich with an adoptive human father.
The movie itself does not explicitly state Ariel's age, but Disney's production notes for the film shared by Yahoo! describe the lead character as a "spirited 18-year-old." The evidence behind Ariel being aged up two years compared to the animated movie can be seen in the live-action remake.
However, towards the bottom of the chart are some very young couples, including The Little Mermaid's, Ariel and Eric, who are just 16 and 18, and the youngest, other that Snow White, being Aladdin's Jasmine who is only 15-year-old, who is with 18-year-old Aladdin.
There was no statement by Disney as to why they made the change or where the design of this new dress came from, but it could've been a choice made to better represent her character, since the pink gown was just one that Eric's family had around the palace.
However, the "As It Was" singer ultimately chose to not pursue the role of Prince Eric in live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. And as the film's director Rob Marshall explained, it was all due to Harry wanting to be part of another world career-wise. "We met with him.
It wasn't 'banned' per se, it was recalled. The original artwork contained a phallic-looking spire on a castle in the background. By all accounts, the resemblance was unintentional and NOT a joke slipped in by the artist. In any case, the cover was recalled by Disney and a new one was issued.
What happened to Ariel's mom in The Little Mermaid?
While it is known that her mother perished, there is no story attached to the event. However, much later, in 2008, an animated The Little Mermaid prequel revealed that Ariel's mother was crushed by a pirate ship during an altercation between humans and merpeople.
In Disney's 1989 The Little Mermaid, sea witch Ursula is a different sort of fat antagonist: witty, sarcastic, self-sufficient. With purple skin and a short silver haircut, Ursula is a rare example of a fat villain people love.
(MORE: 'Little Mermaid Live': Who will play Ariel, Ursula, Sebastian and more!) Queen Latifah stars alongside actress Auli'i Cravalho who will play Ariel and reggae singer Shaggy who will play Ariel's friend, Sebastian.
Lizzo showcased her audition for The Little Mermaid's Ursula in a since-privated viral video. She didn't get the part, but she "was down to make Ursula a THOT, shaking ass." The role went to Melissa McCarthy, whom Lizzo met during a taping of Adele's "One Night Only" concert.
