TRENDING

OK, we all know that the animated version Prince Eric is one of our fav Disney princes. I mean, those gorgeous ocean-blue eyes? Swoon! So when we found out that we would be getting a live-action version of The Little Mermaid starring the incomparable Halle Bailey (one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle) as Ariel, we sincerely hoped that we would get the perf Prince Eric to match. 

It's safe to say Disney delivered with Jonah Hauer-King. And if you've seen The Little Mermaid (2023), you get it. TBH, if you've seen *any* TikTok edit of the newest Prince Eric, you probs get it too. 

Although he did star as Laurie in BBC's 2017 rendition of Little Women alongside Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke, the British actor is relatively new to the spotlight. But as the charming Prince Eric, we're falling head over heels (or fins!) for Jonah Hauer-King. Here's why. 

His musical talent

Hey Ursula! There's another voice we want to steal. 

We know that Jonah's role could never outshine our queen Halle Bailey (if you haven't heard her version of "Part of Your World" already, you are missing. out), but we can't ignore those musical chops. In this adaptation of The Little Mermaid, lyricist (and the genius behind the music of Moana) Lin-Manuel Miranda gives Prince Eric the epic solo ballad he so deserves. 

"Wild Uncharted Waters" is the ultimate "I want" song. It gives us the same vibes as Kristoff's Frozen 2 number "Lost in the Woods", with a chill-inducing final chorus to match. We can't stop listening. 

His adorable friendship with Halle Bailey

Spend just a minute or two on Jonah Hauer-King's socials and you're bound to find a cute BFF moment with co-star Halle Bailey. 

New to the Hollywood scene, Jonah was quickly taken under Halle's wing. She took him out to California burger staple In 'N Out on his first trip to SoCal, and even warned him that he would become "the new heartthrob of the generation." Halle knows us too well. 

Whether they're making TikToks together or having a laugh attack during a press interview, the pair exudes a chemistry we're absolutely obsessed with. In fact, Jonah even said in a red carpet interview that on set, Halle "was immediately one of my best friends." Cuteness. Overload. 

His unique connection to Harry Styles

If you're new to the underwater world of The Little Mermaid (2023), let us be the first to tell you that reigning king of pop Harry Styles was initially shortlisted to play Prince Eric back in 2019. However, it was later announced that Harry passed on the role, seeking work on "darker" films, according to The Little Mermaid's director Rob Marshall.

We gotta admit that in the beginning, we were kind of in our feelings about this. How could anyone else compete with our fave boa-wearing Brit?

But even without the king of pop on board, Disney still secured us a king to play Prince Eric—Jonah Hauer-King, that is. And the best part? Jonah seems to be a fan of Harry too. "It's cool to be mentioned in the same breath (as Harry Styles)," Jonah revealed to Hollywood Reporter.

And even though Harry Styles only ventured "Under the Sea" for his "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" music video, we forgive him. 

@harrystyles

His charming Instagram presence

As big fans of all things The Little Mermaid, there's no doubt that we will consume all the behind-the-scenes content we can get. Thankfully, Jonah has kept us well-fed. With four posts dedicated purely to on-set moments, Jonah's Instagram page (@jonahhauerking) is filled with all the celeb content we could ask for. 

Jonah posts professionally on Insta but also manages to keep it casual, which we really love. Sometimes celeb content can feel boring or disconnected from fans, but Jonah's posts feel like we're catching up with a good friend. BRB, wishing we were Halle. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jonah Hauer-King (@jonahhauerking)

Can't stop talking about The Little Mermaid (2023)? Fangirl with us on Twitter @girlslifemag!

Top and slider image: @jonahhauerking

by Laila Mayfield | 6/15/2023