Jonah Hauer-king, London Although King doesn’t usually answer calls from unknown numbers, he did so out of habit when director Rob Marshall called at seven in the morning from an American cell phone.
“I said, ‘That might be me, I don’t know,’ when he mentioned that he was searching for Prince Eric.” And he said, “You have it, good job.” Hauer-King remembers the exact moment he learned he would be voicing the prince in the live-action version of the animated 1989 picture “The Little Mermaid.”
“I kind of assumed it hadn’t occurred. I texted the number because I believed it might have been a dream. “Is this Rob?” I said. Did you genuinely assign me the role? He continues, “And he said, ‘Yes, you crazy person, it’s definitely yours.'”
The audience gains more knowledge about Prince Eric in Marshall’s adaptation of the Disney picture. Prince Eric is an intrepid traveller who befriends and assists the crew members of his ship. It’s also discreetly mentioned that although the prince is adopted, he receives the same royal treatment as his mother, Noma Dumezweni’s Queen Selina.
“We comprehend him better because he has more dimensions and levels. Jonah Hauer-King explains that Eric and Ariel are “kindred spirits because they’re quite similar, it makes sense that they fell for each other so quickly and they’re willing to give everything up for each other.” Eric is restless and lost because he doesn’t really want to be the future king.
For a duration of three months, he was trained in princely pursuits like as horseback riding, scuba diving, and boat rowing. He expressed his want to continue these hobbies since they were “quite nice” and “quite a romantic little thing to be able to do.”
Although Hauer-King claims to be a bad swimmer, it worked for the role. Even though the prince’s role is constantly at sea, in the movie, he is prevented from drowning.
He laughs and explains, “I didn’t really have to look like I could [swim] because I couldn’t.”
Hauer-King claims that he grew up seeing the 1989 movie at home with his two older sisters, who loved and saw it so much that it ingrained itself into his memory.
He recently participated in a BuzzFeed quiz with the entire cast to find out their respective characters.
Jonah Hauer-King
The only one to have their own character was me. Hauer-King, who began acting at an early age in school, adds, “I was sort of trying to answer it slightly stupidly as well and it still came back [as Prince Eric].” Despite her admission, she was not cast in many of the plays.
For me, it kind of emerged later. I performed in my first play at a theatre festival in Scotland. It was the kind of venue where you had to do everything yourself—create your own set, put it up every day, take it down after shows, and advertise it all the time. I felt like I belonged since I was a part of something creative,” he says.
The actor was born in London and is the son of Jeremy King, the renowned restaurateur behind the Wolseley and the Delaunay, and Debra Hauer, a producer who became a psychologist.
He was a student at Eton College, a well-known institution known for producing writers, performers, and royals including Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Ian Fleming, and Prince William and Harry. Also, the school has turned out twenty prime leaders of Britain.
Jonah Hauer-King continued his education at the University of Cambridge, where he studied religion and theology and earned a degree with honours while still acting in theatre.
At the time, there wasn’t really a pattern or reason—it was just what I was interested in. He compares it to storytelling and character development by “trying to understand them, what makes them tick and what they’re afraid of.” “I just really loved the course, but I think looking back, the degree was about looking at different religious communities and the way they live their lives, the way they find meaning and purpose and relate to one another,” he says.
“When I start a new job now, I still use a lot of the tools that I learned when I look back,” he continues.
The two next projects by Hauer-King are completely unrelated to Disney fairy tales. He will be acting in two TV adaptations: Rich Flu, a dark comedic thriller from Spanish director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a Holocaust novel written by Heather Morris and published in 2018.
“When I first started out, I would accept offers that I was given. There wasn’t really much of an option for me. My options are becoming increasingly limited, which is a great luxury, and they are primarily determined by the director and the plot. About selecting his acting resume, he adds, “If there was a theme, it would be just looking for variation wherever possible.”
Because of how terrifying the work is, he refers to “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” as an extraordinarily tough and arduous job.
“I push myself outside of my comfort zone, so when something feels difficult or scary, that’s a good sign,” he continues.
Gaztelu-Urrutia sarcastically claims he eased into the villainous role he plays in his project. The strange sickness at the heart of the movie threatens to kill anyone who possesses wealth.
Playing a character who is incredibly imperfect, rude, and annoying was a lot of fun. The “Rich Flu” character, in my opinion, felt enjoyable because it allowed you to discuss topics that you wouldn’t normally be able to, and that was entertaining,” Hauer-King says.
