‘The Little Mermaid’ makeup artist hits back at Ursula criticism

The makeup designer for the live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid has hit back at criticisms over his take on the character of Ursula, played by Melissa McCarthy. Speaking with Insider, Peter Smith King contended the belief that the makeup designer for Ursula should have been queer, since the sea witch of the 1989 iteration of The Little Mermaid was inspired by the popular drag queen Divine. 

“I find that very offensive,” the designer said of the criticisms. “Why can’t I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?” Smith King went on to describe calls for Ursula to be designed by a queer artist as “ridiculous,” discouraging audiences from “put[ting] people down because they’re not what they want it to be.” Perhaps the biggest figurehead in criticisms against Smith King’s role came from RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Kerri Colby.

Responding to a video of McCarthy’s updated Ursula look on Twitter, Colby said “[this is] absolutely why we should hire up and coming queer artists with a pulse on the present and a vision for the future more often.” Australia Drag Race alum Art Simone, meanwhile, retweeted a video of McCarthy having her makeup done for Ursula with the caption: “When you lie on your resume and end up with the job.” 

While Smith King revealed he and McCarthy had “laughed about how much we love drag queens and drag makeup,” he also admitted that, unlike the 1989 iteration, his version of Ursula was not inspired by drag performers, saying it “wasn’t based on any drag acts at all.” That is evidently not the case for McCarthy, however, with the actress revealing at the film’s premiere that she “hope[s] to do every drag queen proud” with her portrayal of Ursula. 

“I wanted to give [Divine] everything she was due,” the actress added. McCarthy herself started out as a drag performer, adopting the “Miss Y” persona at various gigs throughout New York City in her early acting days. Alongside The Little Mermaid, Smith King has credits on films within The Lord of the Rings franchise, as well as Mary Poppins and Spider-Man: Far From Home, among others.