Jonah Hauer-King, who plays the charming Prince Eric in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid, recently revealed in a new interview with Square Mile some of his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel.
When asked about the racist backlash surrounding Disney's initial announcement that Halle would take on the role of the iconic red-haired mermaid, Jonah noted how the positive reactions outshined the negative ones.
The 28-year-old English actor said, "[The negative critiques] became more and more ridiculous the more I worked with her, the more I realized how incredible she was and how born she was for the role."
Disney's animated The Little Mermaid (1989) was based on Hans Christian Andersen's 19th-century story, and Jonah addressed those who were upset about the remake's "accuracy."
"It’s fascinating that people didn’t mind all of the changes that were made from [the original story]," he said.
Halle and Jonah aren't afraid to show off their loving friendship, and Jonah was quick to praise his costar in the interview: "I was so impressed that [Halle] deals with everything with such graciousness and elegance."
