Harry Styles had a ‘clear reason’ for turning down Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid! What did Harry want from his acting career?

Last Updated on 04/06/2023 by てんしょく飯

Harry Styles wanted a “darker role” than Prince Eric.

Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid will be released on Friday 9 June.

The role of Prince Eric in the film is played by actor Jonah Hauer-King, and popular singer and actor Harry Styles was initially considered for the role.

In 2019, Harry Styles was offered the role of Prince Eric but turned it down. In an interview with The Face magazine, Harry said, “We talked a lot about the role of Prince Eric. I want to put out music and I’m concentrating on my music career for a while. But everyone involved in the production [of The Little Mermaid] was fantastic and I think it’s going to be great. I’ll definitely enjoy watching it,” he said, revealing that he had turned down the role because of the music making.

However, it seems that Harry had other reasons for turning down Prince Eric.

The film’s director, Rob Marshall, has now given an interview to Entertainment Weekly.

He revealed that Harry wanted a darker film as an actor, saying about the offer to Harry, “[Harry] really wanted to be in a darker film”.

Indeed, Harry appeared in the psycho-thriller film Don’t Worry Darling, which was released in 2022, and My Officer, a film about a love triangle between two men and a woman, also released in the same year. In 2021, he also made a cameo appearance in Marvel’s film The Eternals.

Harry turned down the role of Prince Eric, but Jonah Hauer-King was eventually cast. Director Rob Marshall said Jonah had a ‘sweetness’ and ‘deep passion’ that suited the character.

The live-action version of The Little Mermaid was released on 9 June.