Actor Mena Massoud, renowned for portraying Aladdin in Disney’s 2019 live-action film, became embroiled in a contentious situation when he commented on the forthcoming live-action rendition of “The Little Mermaid.” As a result of the ensuing backlash, Massoud chose to deactivate his Twitter account.
The situation arose when Massoud engaged with a tweet that presented box office predictions for the much-awaited “Little Mermaid” film, scheduled for release on May 26. He proceeded to juxtapose the projected figures with the achievements of “Aladdin,” the film in which he shared the screen with Will Smith and Naomi Scott.
In his tweet, Massoud stated, “Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion-dollar mark with our opening. My guess is TLM doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”
Almost immediately, Twitter users began to criticize Massoud’s comments, defending “The Little Mermaid” and expressing confusion about his motives for making such remarks. Some questioned why he chose to ignite a potential controversy, while others highlighted his previous claims of struggling to secure auditions following his role in “Aladdin.”
A Twitter user commented, asking, “What did you hope to gain by making this comment?” Meanwhile, another user expressed their genuine confusion, questioning Massoud’s intentions behind the tweet and wondering if he intentionally sought to provoke a confrontation.
The backlash continued to intensify, with one account referencing Massoud’s past complaints about unemployment, writing, “I don’t understand why Mena Massoud felt the need to put down #TheLittleMermaid when black Twitter showed up for him after he cried about being unemployed even after he did Aladdin.”
Currently, Massoud’s spokesperson has not released an official statement concerning the incident.
During a previous interview with The Daily Beast in December 2019, Massoud openly shared his challenges after his role in “Aladdin,” expressing his frustrations regarding the scarcity of auditions and notable career prospects. He candidly conveyed his disillusionment with how the industry perceived his success, honestly stating, “The reality is that I haven’t witnessed significant career advancements from [Aladdin].”
Despite earlier reports of an Aladdin sequel being in development, Massoud responded to a fan’s inquiry in March by stating that a follow-up film was “very unlikely at this point.”
The controversy surrounding Mena Massoud’s comments on Twitter underscores the challenges actors face in navigating public discourse and managing the expectations associated with their previous successes.