Jonah Hauer-King: 5 Things About The Swoonworthy Actor Playing Prince Eric In ‘The Little Mermaid’

Jonah Hauer-King is our new Disney prince! The British actor stars as the handsome Prince Eric in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, which hits theaters on May 26. With this sure-to-be blockbuster, Jonah is about to become a household name and Hollywood’s newest heartthrob.

So, who is Jonah Hauer-King? The 27-year-old actor is a star on the rise. Learn more about his grueling Prince Eric audition process, his college degree, and more.

Jonah’s audition for Prince Eric lasted 7 months.

The actor revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he tried out for Prince Eric as just a “fun experience” and didn’t think it would go anywhere. He ended up participating in 7 months of auditions, which included screen-testing with Halle Bailey, singing for director Rob Marshall, and more. Jonah officially landed the role, which Harry Styles was also up for, in November 2019. Jonah performs a new solo song in the live-action film.

Jonah is close friends with co-star Halle Bailey.

Jonah and Halle, who plays Ariel, spent a lot of time together filming the Disney movie in London and Italy. “From the moment we met, there was this genuine friendship and connection that we had, and I was so grateful for that,” Halle told Out magazine. “I think in our screen test the first time, we felt that right away. I was just really grateful to be able to play it with somebody like Jonah, who is a kind person and who is a leader. And so talented. For us to be embarking on this journey together for the first time, I think that was a bonding experience on its own. Being able to play these iconic characters that we both were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a big deal, this is happening.'”

Jonah made his film debut in 2017.

The dual UK and U.S. citizen found his love for acting in theater, starring in productions like Punk Rock at the Lyric Theatre in 2014 and Equus in 2015. He also appeared in a handful of short films between 2014 and 2016 before making his big break (and film debut) in the 2017 British drama film, The Last Photograph. He went on to star in three films in 2018: Postcards from London, Ashes in the Snow, and Old Boys. Jonah made his way into Hollywood with a starring role in the 2019 feel-good film, A Dog’s Way Home. Aside from The Little Mermaid, he’s wrapped filming on upcoming films A Beautiful Imperfection and Rich Flu.

Jonah is set to star in a highly-anticipated TV series.

Jonah is currently filming the Peacock series The Tattooist of Auschwitz, based on the bestselling novel by Heather Morris. He plays the younger Lale Sokolov. You may also recognize him as Laurie Laurence from the 2017 miniseries for Little Women. He played Harry Chase in the WWII drama series World on Fire.

Jonah holds a degree from a prestigious U.K. institution.

Following his graduation from Eton College, Jonah went on to attend, St. John’s College, Cambridge. He graduated with a degree in theology and religious studies in 2017.

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