The live-action movie 'The Little Mermaid' continues to generate controversy even though it remains a hit at the box office.

First there was the issue of casting an actress of color in the role of Ariel, the mermaid protagonist who in the 1998 cartoon was white-skinned and red-haired.

Now another controversy has arisen with actor Stefano Tomadini, who plays one of the tritons in 'The Little Mermaid'.

It has come to light that this performer has a past in adult films, where his name was Dante Ferrari.

The 24-year-old actor managed to catch the attention of casting bosses, who were looking for "really sexy male models" and didn't hesitate to take Tomadini.

Stefano Tomadin had a past as a porn actor

The problem is that it has now come to light that he was a porn actor and it seems that Disney could be regretting the decision to hire him for a film that is aimed at all audiences.

"They had no idea about Stefano's racy videos and, given 'The Little Mermaid' is the big summer blockbuster for kids, it's a bit embarrassing for Disney," a source close to the studio told the 'Toronto Sun'.

There are still explicit videos of Stefano Tomadini on the internet.

He tried to remain distant from his past and has been posting photos from the filming of 'The Little Mermaid' but in the end he deleted his Instagram account.

So Disney's latest live-action film continues to add to the controversy.

First it was the decision to cast Halle Bailey as the lead, then the choice of Javier Bardem as Triton and now this.

But the film is doing well at the box office and continues to gross over 468 million dollars worldwide.

Disney have yet to issue any statement or comment on Tomadini's past.