Who is Prince Eric in "The Little Mermaid"? Jonathan Bailey reveals his first crush growing up was an animated character

Jonathan Bailey, who was voted PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive 2025, admitted that one of his first crushes growing up was Prince Eric from Disney's The Little Mermaid. For the uninitiated, Prince Eric is the male lead in the 1989 Disney animated flick, and played love interest to Ariel, the protagonist who is also a princess and a mermaid.

During his cover story for PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive 2025, Bailey revealed that his first celeb crushes were Prince Eric and Trini (the Yellow Ranger) from Power Rangers, saying:

“I’d say Prince Eric [from The Little Mermaid], but also Trini in Power Rangers. I remember accidentally throwing two garden tools over the fence trying to be her.”

Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay man to be awarded PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive title. The announcement was made during the November 3 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with the Bridgerton actor appearing as the episode's guest.

During his interview for People Magazine, the 37-year-old actor said he was flattered to have received the title of Sexiest Man Alive 2025, adding that he kept the announcement a secret from his friends and family.

"It’s a huge honor. Obviously I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd. It’s been a secret, so I’m quite excited for some friends and family to find out."

He also jokingly added that his friends would be "furious" that he kept the secret from them, adding:

"I think a lot of my friends will. They’ll be furious that I haven’t told them. And then they’ll just squeal with delight. They’ve seen me grow up. Behind the mask of being identified as a sexy man are other truths that they know and they’ve witnessed. They know the secrets."

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Ariel saves Prince Eric from drowning

Disney's 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's Danish fairy tale of the same name, which was originally published in 1837. Prince Eric was based on the prince who appears in Anderson's original fairy tale.

According to the movie's wiki website, Eric, a young prince of a seaside kingdom, meets Ariel during one of his voyages on sea when she saves him from drowning. Eric falls in love with Ariel, who is the youngest of five daughters born to King Triton and Queen Athena of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. The prince then vows to find and marry Ariel as Ursula, the sea witch, tries to take control of Atlantica.

Christopher Daniel Barnes voiced Prince Eric in the 1989 movie, while Jodi Benson voiced Ariel. The Little Mermaid received a musical live-action adaptation in 2023, with Halle Bailey playing the mermaid and Jonah Hauer-King portraying Prince Eric. According to Entertainment Weekly, Harry Styles was reportedly offered the role of Eric, with director Rob Marshall claiming the singer rejected it because he wanted to focus on making movies that were "sort of darker."

According to Screen Rant, the live-action provides more backstory for Prince Eric. It revealed that he was not a prince by birth and was adopted by Queen Selina and her late husband, the King, when he was a boy. There is no information about his birth parents, and it is unclear how the king died in the live-action.

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In other news, Jonathan Bailey will reprise his role as Prince Fiyero in the upcoming sequel to Wicked, titled Wicked: For Good, scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.

Edited by Juhi Marzia