Harry Styles turned down ‘The Little Mermaid’ for ‘Darker’ roles

April 5, 2023

“He really wanted to do something outside of the musical genre to really stretch himself,” director Marshall said.

Harry Styles didn’t want to be part of the world of “The Little Mermaid” when his film career took off.

The “Don’t Worry, Darling” actor was originally in talks to play Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.” However, the Grammy winner ultimately turned down the role.

“We met him. He was kind. What an amazing guy,” Marshall said Entertainment Weekly. “But at the end of the day, he really felt like he wanted to go and do the movies that he ended up doing, and they were a little bit darker.”

Styles starred in the psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” and the quirky romance “My Policeman,” which debuted in 2022.

“For a lot of young musicians like Harry, he’s trying to break out and not necessarily want to be seen as a singer,” Marshall added. “That’s why he wanted to do something outside of the music genre to really stretch himself. It was a really fun idea to play with, but in the end I always think things happen for a reason. I am very happy that two young, new people are in the film.”

British actor Jonah Hauer-King, who starred in the BBC limited series “The Little Women,” has been cast as Prince Eric alongside Grammy-nominated singer Halle Bailey as Ariel.

In addition to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” Styles was in contention to play Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominated epic “Elvis.” Director Luhrmann revealed that while Styles and “Top Gun: Maverick” star Miles Teller were cast as Presley, he was hesitant to cast a global icon like Styles.

“Harry is a really talented actor. I’d work on something with him (but) the real problem with Harry is that he’s Harry Styles,” Luhrmann said. “He’s already an icon.”

The ‘Moulin Rouge’ director continued: ‘Harry and I came to a place, I mean honestly, he was just desperate to put on the suit and explore. He’s a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry Styles.”

Styles is also attached to Robert Eggers’ upcoming “Nosferatu” remake before dropping out due to tour scheduling conflicts. Styles was not supposed to be a vampire, but instead played Hutter, the main character. Instead, Nicholas Hoult takes over the role, Bill Skarsgård plays Dracula, and Lily-Rose Depp plays the Temptress. Willem Dafoe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson complete the cast.

Styles has since said that he is not looking for any more film roles Rolling stone, “I don’t think I’ll be doing a movie for a while. A big part of acting is doing nothing, waiting. Which, if that’s the worst, it’s a pretty good job. But I don’t find this part so satisfying. I like to do it in the moment, but I don’t think I’ll be doing a lot.”

Register: Stay up to date with the latest movie and TV news! Subscribe to our email newsletter here.