Who is Jonah Hauer-King, aka Prince Eric in 'The Little Mermaid?'

First, it was Corey Mylchreest from Queen Charlotte. A couple of weeks later, we have a whole new internet boyfriend we're obsessing over. Enter: Jonah Hauer-King, otherwise known as Prince Eric from the live movie adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Prior to Hauer-King's casting, speculation about who would play the charming prince was up in the air. 

In 2019, many believed Harry Styles would take on the beloved role after rumors of early negotiations circled around. But ultimately, Hauer-King claimed the top spot, officially securing his place in the Disney family. He's openly spoken about working with director Rob Marshall in making this version of Prince Eric his own, giving the prince a better-developed storyline and a more nuanced perspective regarding his relationship with Ariel.

"The thing that I loved about [Prince Eric] this time around is that I was really understanding him as a person and on a human level," he said during an interview with Screen Rant. "I think the archetype of the prince is fun and we all love him and we all love the character in the cartoon, but I think in the live-action version we needed to know more. I think we wanted to have some more complexity for him, I think we wanted to understand who he was and what he wanted. He felt quite lost I think when we meet him, and he's longing for something else, he's longing for something bigger. And I think that's ultimately what connected [Eric and Ariel]."

Priorities first: No, there are no reports of Hauer-King currently in a relationship. That said, the actor has been very vocal about his friendship with Halle Bailey (Princess Ariel). When asked what his relationship with Bailey was like during filming, he described it as "very, very easy."

"Since the first time I met her, she has been such a good friend to me," he said. "She's such an elegant kind person. And I think in the film the relationship is romantic, but it also comes out of friendship as well. And I think Halle and I had that from right off the bat, so it was easy to show."

Now, let's get into other details. Hauer-King is a British actor, born in Islington, London, and raised Jewish. He studied at Eton College and then St. John's College, Cambridge where he began his acting endeavors. He graduated with a degree in theology and religious studies while taking on various acting gigs on the side.

The British actor has quite a few on-screen acting credits under his belt, including appearances in Little Women, World on Fire, and A Dog Way's Home. His first starring role was as Luke Hammond in the 2017 British drama film The Last Photograph. That said, his role as Prince Eric has catapulted him to further stardom, especially acting alongside an A-list cast including Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, Simone Ashley, Daveed Diggs, and Javier Bardem.

As he's been cast as the lead character in the upcoming film The Tattooist of Auschwitz, we know for a fact we will be seeing more of him. With The Little Mermaid being one of the few Disney princess movies that also has a sequel (and the only one in which the royals have a child), there is also a chance we may see Hauer-King reprise his role in the future. 

"I would be up for doing [a sequel]," Hauer-King said in an interview with Narcity. "I kind of would like to also be a merman. So if we can also somehow involve that storyline to go with [Melody, that would be great.]"