Harry Styles Set to Play Prince Eric in 'The Little Mermaid'? Singer Turned it Down For THIS Reason

Harry Styles' fans will be very disappointed to know that the singer turned down the role of Prince Eric from "The Little Mermaid" in favor of "darker" movie roles.

According to reports, the director of the forthcoming Disney movie adaptation revealed that they actually had the "As It Was" singer in mind and even had him come in for an audition.

"We met with him. He was lovely. What a wonderful guy," said Rob Marshall. "But at the end of the day, he really felt like he wanted to go off and do the movies that he ended up doing, which were sort of darker."

Of course, by now fans are well aware what movie Marshall is referring to: "Don't Worry Darling."

Styles was cast as a lead character in the 2022 psychological thriller alongside Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Olivia Wilde, who also directed the movie.

Mature Roles?

Aside from working on "Don't Worry Darling," Styles also starred in "My Policeman," a 2022 LGBTQIA+ drama, opposite David Dawson and Emma Corrin.

Apparently, this is not the first time Styles was linked to "The Little Mermaid," rumors about him playing Prince Eric have been circulating for years.

In fact, in 2019, he was about it: "It was discussed."

"I want to put music out and focus on that for a while. But every­one involved in it was amaz­ing, so I think it's going to be great."

In that same year, he released his debut studio album that cemented him as one of the most successful solo artists, "Fine Line."

Distinction

Since then, Styles has established himself as a talented singer, as well as an 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. It was really a fun idea to play with, but in the end, I always think things happen for a reason. I'm so happy to have two young, new people in the film."

According to Entertainment Weekly, Jonah Hauer-King ended up with the Prince Eric role, which proved to be a perfect fit.

Marshall commended the 27-year-old actor's skills: "I'm always looking for the person who's deeply connected to a part. The words come off the page [and] all of a sudden they're in his mouth, and it sounds true and real. You believe the person."

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Harry Styles