diff --git a/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingProxyRootView.mm b/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingProxyRootView.mm
index 626a47ed057ccf..58cb87ea98eebf 100644
--- a/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingProxyRootView.mm
+++ b/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingProxyRootView.mm
@@ -73,13 +73,7 @@ - (instancetype)initWithBridge:(RCTBridge *)bridge
   // `RCTRootViewSizeFlexibilityNone` is the RCTRootView's default.
   RCTSurfaceSizeMeasureMode sizeMeasureMode = convertToSurfaceSizeMeasureMode(RCTRootViewSizeFlexibilityNone);
 
-  id<RCTSurfaceProtocol> surface = [[self class] createSurfaceWithBridge:bridge
-                                                              moduleName:moduleName
-                                                       initialProperties:initialProperties];
-  [surface start];
-  if (self = [super initWithSurface:surface sizeMeasureMode:sizeMeasureMode]) {
-    // Nothing specific to do.
-  }
+  self = [super initWithBridge:bridge moduleName:moduleName initialProperties:initialProperties sizeMeasureMode:sizeMeasureMode];
 
   RCT_PROFILE_END_EVENT(RCTProfileTagAlways, @"");
 
diff --git a/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingView.mm b/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingView.mm
index f271bb76957171..9dbfad6548dc65 100644
--- a/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingView.mm
+++ b/React/Base/Surface/SurfaceHostingView/RCTSurfaceHostingView.mm
@@ -46,8 +46,10 @@ - (instancetype)initWithBridge:(RCTBridge *)bridge
   id<RCTSurfaceProtocol> surface = [[self class] createSurfaceWithBridge:bridge
                                                               moduleName:moduleName
                                                        initialProperties:initialProperties];
-  [surface start];
-  return [self initWithSurface:surface sizeMeasureMode:sizeMeasureMode];
+  if (self = [self initWithSurface:surface sizeMeasureMode:sizeMeasureMode]) {
+    [surface start];
+  }
+  return self;
 }
 
 - (instancetype)initWithSurface:(id<RCTSurfaceProtocol>)surface