Prince Harry's Acting Debut Has Fans Divided

While the royal family back in the U.K. continues to do whatever it is Official Royals do, Prince Harry has been trying out a variety of new careers, including podcaster, Silicon Valley startup executive, and television producer. It was probably inevitable that he would eventually give acting a shot, which he has now done, performing as himself in a short comedic skit promoting Travelyst — an organization he founded, which allows destinations to rate travelers on their sustainability, according to ITV News

In the skit, Harry (while wearing a "Girl Dad" t-shirt) is accosted on a jog by New Zealand actor Rhys Darby, who confronts him about dropping a "lolly wrapper" on a New Zealand trip in 2018. Darby also informs the prince that his trip to New Zealand was rated three out of five for sustainability, with points for buying local honey and not leaving the water running while brushing his teeth. "Hang on a second," Harry says in response to the toothbrushing brownie point. "How do you know that? That's really weird."

"Really weird" is just one of the reactions Prince Harry's acting debut received on social media. 

Prince Harry's acting got mixed reviews

The internet was pretty divided about Prince Harry's chops as an actor. While some thought Harry's skit was a smashing success, others thought he could maybe use a few more lessons from his wife, Meghan Markle, actual professional actor. 

"He needs better acting lessons, obviously the mrs is showing him all the wrong moves," one unimpressed viewer tweeted.  Another Twitter user astutely noted, "It won't get a BAFTA." Probably not! Another commenter put their thoughts even more succinctly, tweeting, "That was incredibly cheesy."

But different strokes for different folks and all that. Harry also had plenty of fans in the comment section. Speaking on behalf of Team Pro Harry, one Twitter user wrote, "Fantastic initiative! Harrys a natural in front of the camera he should do more things like this." One approving fan tweeted, "This was such a lovely video and truly a way to get people interested in his causes and initiatives. He has been working so hard, it is admirable that at least some royals are genuinely putting in work!" Some people were more direct, like one person who simply commented, "He did well."