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“The Little Mermaid” is in for some big changes.
In addition to casting Halle Bailey as a black Ariel, the new live-action remake of Disney’s 1989 animated classic will find the mermaid heroine having a “more grown-up and mature” relationship with Prince Eric, according to his portrayer Jonah Hauer-King.
That includes an update of Alan Menken’s “Kiss the Girl” lyrics so that it wouldn’t seem as if Eric was forcing himself on Ariel.
“My understanding is that there were some feelings around consent and asking to kiss someone, which makes total sense to me,” Hauer-King, 27, told the Hollywood Reporter.
Having witnessed the racist backlash that Bailey faced for playing Ariel, the London native said he does “not really understand what to make of it.”
“Rob [Marshall, the director] and the producers and Disney didn’t approach this film and this casting with any kind of agenda — they just wanted to cast the person who was best for the role,” said Hauer-King.
“Ultimately, you want someone who has the best voice and the best spirit and the most charisma, charm and humor and best acting talent, and that’s Halle,” he concluded.
Hauer-King — whose credits include the 2019 film “A Dog’s Way Home” and the BBC drama “World on Fire” — initially auditioned for “The Little Mermaid” as just a “fun experience.”
But after seven months of auditions, he scored his own casting coup, beating out none other than Harry Styles for the coveted role.
“He’s pretty cool and amazingly talented, so yeah, it was cool to be mentioned in the same breath,” he said of the “As It Was” singer, who talked with Marshall about playing Eric.
But it was Hauer-King who ended up going through three months of rehearsals for the part, learning to ride horses, work with dogs, scuba dive, row and operate a horse carriage
“I’ve never done so much training in my life,” he said.
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