MAKE A SPLASH: Mermaids in pop culture

The series marks Ji Hyun’s first project since giving birth to her first child in February, and she will be making waves (quite literally) as Shim Chung, the last mermaid on earth. On the other hand, this will be Min Ho’s last drama before he enlists for his mandatory military service next year, and he will be taking on dual roles as Kim Moon, the son of a nobleman in the Joseon era, and Heo Joon Jae, a conman in the modern age who catches Shim Chung.

In a statement by Min Ho, the Hallyu heartthrob admitted that he and Ji Hyun “did not get close right away”, and that “it was a little awkward and uncomfortable at first”, but they had the chance to bond as they filmed overseas in Spain. Now, “We’ve become friends to the point that we’d break into laughter by looking at each other.”

While Ji Hyun looks nothing short of ethereal in all her sequinned glory (fish-tailed or not), the 35-year-old admitted at the show’s recent press conference in Seoul that the role was extremely challenging, and that she never wants to play a mermaid ever again. Still, she blazed on like the pro she is, and found it rewarding to see herself as a mermaid in the final cut.

Read on to meet other finned beings who made a splash on the small or silver screens:

Photos: ONE

Arguably the most recognisable mermaid in the world with her fire engine red hair, purple shell bikini and green tail, the Disney princess is an adaptation that has it much better than her original Hans Christian Andersen-penned counterpart.

The most obvious difference of all would be their endings: while Ariel gets to marry the prince of her dreams and live happily ever after (or at least, until The Little Mermaid 2 rolled along), the latter dissolves into foam and transforms into a spirit that can earn a soul by doing good deeds for 300 years.

We think parents would have a hard time explaining that (plus other not-so-child-friendly details like the sea witch cutting out the mermaid’s tongue as payment) to their little ones.

Photo: TPG

Stephen Chow’s fantasy rom-com was left swimming in box office cash after its massive success in China, even becoming the mainland’s highest-grossing film of all time in February and retaining that status to this day.

Inspired by both Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy-tale as well as Stephen’s own childhood experiences living by the sea, The Mermaid tells the story of a mermaid named Shan (Jelly Lin) who is tasked with killing Liu Xuan (Deng Chao), a tycoon who wants to destroy her habitat for a sea reclamation project, by seducing him first (think of it as an environmental-themed version of Lust, Caution).

However, things don’t go quite as planned – although the audience probably saw this coming from a mile away – and would-be-assassin and target fall in love. As expected, this causes even more problems for everyone…

Photo: TPG

Half-human, half-fish – of course this adorable Hayao Miyakazi creation is a mermaid (at least in our books she qualifies as one!) The hit Japanese animation also bears some similarities to the classic The Little Mermaid tale, in that the titular character falls in love with a human boy and the out-of-water world he lives in. However, what makes Ponyo cooler is that she could give herself legs without making shady bargains with sea witches.

The movie was a huge hit not just in its native Japan, but with the rest of the world as well. It even had a star-studded dubbing cast for its English version, with Hollywood hotshots like Liam Neeson, Tina Fey and Cate Blanchett in the line-up. Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas (whose respective older sister and brothers you might have heard of) were also involved.

Photo: TPG

Unlike the other mermaids on this list, the finned femme fatales from the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movies are not sweet, innocent things – their murderous modus operandi includes seducing singing sailors before dragging them down to their watery grave.

One way to survive is to receive a magical kiss that allows you to breathe underwater, which is what happens to Philip (Sam Claflin) when he and captured mermaid Syrena (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey) fall in love. Although his fate is not made explicitly clear, he is shown safely swimming deeper into the pool with his new aquatic lady love at the end of the film.

For those who have fantasised about being a merman, that would be a dream come true.

Photo: TPG

Over 30 years ago, a very young-looking Tom Hanks (he was only in his late 20s at that time) played a man who falls in love with a woman called Madison (Daryl Hannah), whom he doesn’t know is the mermaid who saved him from drowning during his childhood.

The movie certainly made a splash – not only did it succeed at the box office and secure a spot as one of the most iconic fantasy flicks of all time, but the name Madison quickly became a popular choice for parents of baby girls. Before that, it was only known as one of the most famous avenues in New York.

A few months ago, it was announced that the film is set for a role reversal remake that has Channing Tatum in the role of the mermaid, and Jillian Bell in the role of the human. Given the number of nude scenes Daryl had in the original, it looks like it will be female audiences’ turn for some eye candy.

Photo: TPG

Live-action remakes seem to have been arriving in droves of late, and The Little Mermaid is one of the latest to be announced. Chloë Grace Moretz was reported to be attached to the project and even released a lovely image of herself in character (although the wrong hair and tail colour ticked off quite a bit of fans loyal to the Disney version).

Unfortunately, Chloë recently revealed her decision to pull the plug on all her upcoming films – including this one – because she needed to do a bit of self-reflecting. At the moment, the fate of the flick is still unclear, but we’re hoping they nail the re-casting.

Photos: Chloë Grace Moretz/Facebook

We couldn’t resist including this utterly adorable dress-up effort in here. In an episode from the popular variety show, actor Song Il Gook brought his famous triplets Daehan, Minguk and Manse for a The Little Mermaid-themed studio photo shoot.

While Minguk initially volunteered to take on the role as the mermaid, the poor child soon found himself in regret and tears while being squeezed into the tight, sequined tail. Thankfully, his brother Manse was more than happy to take over, and was soon running around after Prince Eric, “played” by Daehan. Doesn’t Manse look absolutely fabulous in his wild red hair?

Photo: KBS