When Disney announced its ‘The Little Mermaid‘ remake in 2019, Harry Styles was immediately attached to the project. After Halley Bailey was cast in the titular role, fans kept guessing who would be the Eric to Bailey’s Arie. The former One-Direction member was the first choice to play Prince Eric for the fans of the animated classic.

Director Rob Marshall has confirmed the authenticity of the fan casting instance. In a recent interview, he talked about having met with the former One Direction member to offer him the part of Eric. The meeting didn’t work out in favor of the director, as he said no to the Disney project. The role went to Jonah Andre Hauer-King.

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Harry Styles Rejected ‘The Little Mermaid’ To Do More Dramatic And Darker Roles

‘The Little Mermaid’ director sat down with EW to talk about the time Harry Styles didn’t accept his offer to be in the film. Primarily known as a singer, Styles was looking to reinvent himself. His desire for substantial dramatic roles made him say no to Disney. Marshall recalls Styles being “wonderful” during their meeting and how his desire to move slightly away from music made him say no.

Rob Marshall told the outlet that “We met with him. He was lovely. What a wonderful guy. 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.” Marshall’s search came to an end with British actor Jonah Andre Hauer-King.

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Post One-Direction Career

Since leaving One Direction, Styles has released three solo albums – ‘Harry Styles,’ Fine Line,‘ and ‘Harry’s House.’ He’s won three Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Watermelon Sugar,’ and Album Of The Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Harry’s House.’ He made his acting debut with a supporting role in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 war drama ‘Dunkirk.’

Harry Styles appears in the Marvel film ‘Eternals‘ as Eros / Starfox during the post-credits scene. He went on to star in the drama ‘My Policeman‘ as Tom Burgess with Emma Corrin and David Dawson. He also appeared in the Olivia Wilde-directed sci-fi drama, ‘Don’t Worry Darling‘ opposite Florence Pugh.

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