"This Is Us" actor Niles Fitch to play first black prince in a Disney live-action movie
Actor Niles Fitch is making Disney history with his new role in "Secret Society of Second-Born Royals," a sci-fi film for the streaming service Disney+. Fitch is Disney's first, live-action black prince.
The star tweeted about the news last week, sharing headlines about the new movie. "Welcome Disney's first Black prince," Fitch wrote. The 18-year-old is best known for his role as a young Randall Pearson in "This Is Us"; the older version of the character is played by Sterling K. Brown.
In "Secret Society of Second-Born Royals," Fitch will play "the charismatic and self-centered Prince Tuma," Entertainment Weekly said in an exclusive about the movie. The film follows a rebellious teen living in the shadow of her older sister, Princess Eleanor, who is next in line to the throne.
Fitch's character is one of many young royals, played by a cast of teen actors, including Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Olivia Deeble and Isabella Blake-Thomas. The original movie will make its debut on the streaming platform this summer, Disney announced.
Disney debuted its first African American princess in 2009's animated movie "The Princess and the Frog." Pocahontas, Princess Jasmine and Mulan were the only princesses of color until Princess Tiana was revealed. And since then, only a few of Disney's animated princess have been people of color, including Moana and Elena.
While most of Disney's royals are animated, there have been a few live-action films featuring princess and princes. But none have featured a prince like Fitch's character — the first black prince in a live-action film, giving representation to boys of color.
Fitch shared his excitement on Twitter, retweeting articles about his historic role.
