Melissa McCarthy Defies Disney With ‘The Little Mermaid’ Role

The Halle Bailey-led live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (2023) is swimming into theaters next month. In honor of its upcoming premiere, Melissa McCarthy recently opened up about the surprising inspiration behind her portrayal of Ursula—which is pretty off-brand for Disney.

With the release of The Little Mermaid just weeks away, more details about this take on the beloved are starting to be unveiled, garnering much attention from fans. Starring Bailey as Ariel and McCarthy as the witchy, eight-legged Ursula, the film also features an A-list ensemble of supporting actors, including Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), Javier Bardem (King Triton), Awkwafina (Scuttle), and Simone Ashley (Indira).

The story will follow a similar one as seen in the animated classic and includes many of the original songs—albeit slightly modified for modern audiences. Check out the official trailer below:

While doing press for the film, McCarthy spoke about embodying one of Disney’s most nefarious villains, who ranks among equally mesmerizing nemeses like Cruella de Vil and Maleficent. Charming, enchanting, and casting spells while belting “Poor Unfortunate Souls” with the flair of a Shakespearean actress are all things that make Ursula such an iconic villain—meaning whoever was chosen to play her in live-action had to be up to the challenge. Thankfully, McCarthy was ready to step up to the plate and even admitted to “begging” director Rob Marshall for the part.

McCarthy explained why she was so prepared to take on the role during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where she discussed all things Ursula. The Emmy-winning actress acknowledged the character’s roots in drag culture and attributed her take on the beloved character to going to see drag queens perform at clubs throughout her youth. McCarthy has even performed in a drag persona she called “Miss Y” at several venues in Manhattan, which only helped fully step into the role of Ursula.

I’m a huge, huge fan of drag shows and the whole art of it and the entertainment of it. I’ve been going to shows since I was not supposed to be going to shows. There’s a drag queen that lives in me. I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her.

McCarthy went on to further describe her iteration of Ursula, saying:

She’s been put in this lair. It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone. Her friends are eels. That is a woman who has seen it, been in it, dug her way back out. All my references are terrible, but I kept thinking, ‘Many a Pall Mall has this woman had.’

Of course, McCarthy channeling her inner drag queen is a nod to Ursula’s real-life inspiration: Divine, a famous actor and legendary drag queen known for her work in the cult classic Pink Flamingos (1972) and her portrayal of Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (1988). When drawing up the initial character designs for Ursula, The Little Mermaid‘s (1989) animators drew direct inspiration from Divine’s signature eye makeup, jewelry, and body type, along with a mohawk inspired by her Pink Flamingos look.

Since then, the character has been linked to the LGBTQ+ community, leading many to think that the 2023 remake would potentially cast a drag queen. But despite Disney’s ongoing efforts to promote inclusion and better representation of the LGBTQ+ community, the studio chose not to go in this direction.

This decision was likely made to avoid stirring up any further controversy, especially in the wake of Tennessee’s recent drag bans, on top of the increasing nationwide anti-drag sentiments—much to the disdain of some fans who have been encouraging Disney to be more representative of different sexualities in their movies and TV shows.

While the ever-talented McCarthy might not perform in drag these days, she is clearly familiar with the art. She seems ready to embrace the over-the-top theatricality of Ursula, and her enthusiasm for the part is more than evident. It’ll be interesting to see if McCarthy can live up to the very high bar set by her Ursula predecessor, Pat Carroll, when The Little Mermaid arrives in theaters on May 26, 2023.

Are you excited to see Melissa McCarthy take on the role of Ursula? Share your thoughts in the comments below.