The rising star hints that he could be up for the film role!
Has the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid found its Prince Eric?
ET's Lauren Zima spoke with Graham Phillips on the red carpet Monday celebrating The Little Mermaid Live!, in which he plays the royal love interest, where he remained mostly tight-lipped on the subject, while also sharing his interest in the film role.
"I know, I'm sort of seeing this as my audition for the movie role," he said with a laugh, adding, "So, we'll see how it goes."
When asked if he's in talks for the role, the 26-year-old actor pretended to zip his lips. Phillips also shared his excitement to "dive into" the ABC TV event, telling ET: "We've been rehearsing really well, like, the last month, and everyone feels ready. And I just wanna do it."
"I don't feel too nervous," he added. "I started out my career doing opera, Broadway and stuff, so it feels kinda like a homecoming."
The actor did admit that he's a little anxious about one aspect of his performance -- Prince Eric's iconic hairstyle.
"The thing I'm most nervous about is his hair," he admitted. "I mean, it's tough 'cause he's royalty, so he's got to have the coif. But he's also a sailor, he's the nautical prince, so it's a really tough balance to make. Thankfully, we've got a good team, but it takes a long time."
In recent months, the role of Prince Eric in the forthcoming film adaptation has become one of the most sought-after jobs in Hollywood, with everyone from Harry Styles to Shazam! star Asher Angel revealing that they've been in talks for the gig.
On Monday, ET also chatted with John Stamos on the red carpet, where he chatted about taking on Chef Louis, the eccentric cook who wants to put Sebastian the crab (played by Shaggy) on the menu. Stamos admitted that his 1-year-old son, Billy, has begun to talk and some of his first words proved distracting one day when Billy was nearby during rehearsals.
"I'm rehearsing my number, kinda for the first time on stage -- jumping on tables with knives and things -- and all I could hear was 'Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada!'" the Full House alum joked of his son's interruptions.
Stamos also echoed Phillips' excitement for the project, stating, "I love it. I'm not a great singer, so to play a character… I feel sorta protected in this part 'cause, like I said, it's a big character and there's a lot of dancers and you have the Disney magic behind it all so.. I just hope I don't fall."
Joining Stamos, Shaggy and Phillips in the production, which is a never-before-seen hybrid format featuring live performances and portions of the animated feature film, are Auli'i Cravalho as Ariel and Queen Latifah as Ursula.
The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live! airs Tuesday, Nov. 5 on ABC.
Check out ET's full chat with Phillips above.
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