If you haven’t seen The Little Mermaid by now, you’re either not a born and bred Disney fan or you work an around-the-clock job — the second excuse, we can dismiss. Likewise, if you — like half the globe — found yourself skeptical when it was announced that Disney would be making a live-action version of The Little Mermaid (especially after the dual travesty that was Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin), I’m here to tell you that we must be skeptical even of our skepticism. Our inner children were secretly bouncing off the walls to hear that Rob Marshall and Lin-Manuel Miranda were tag-teaming the remake, but maybe it’s the cast that didn’t tickle your fancy.
Not only did The Little Mermaid cast a Black actress as Ariel, but it made the bold decision to dress Melissa McCarthy head-to-toe in drag-inspired makeup to portray Ursula the Sea Witch. Now, if you’re familiar with Melissa McCarthy, you’ll know that she falls under a certain category that Hollywood likes to distinguish from all other actors. She, like Rebel Wilson and Amy Schumer, is often typecasted as the token funny “fat” girl (a rather harsh label, honestly) in almost every role she’s had. Don’t believe me? Take her turn in Bridesmaids as an example; Megan was the overweight comedian of the group, while similar performances made it to the screen in Tammy, Life of the Party, and even the all-female Ghostbusters remake.
As a Melissa McCarthy fan knows, she’s much more than the roles she’s been given as of late. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and even nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Aside from acting, she’s also a credited screenwriter and producer. Really, there isn’t much that McCarthy hasn’t done or wouldn’t do, but she’s too often restricted to these kinds of roles that only ever portray her one way. Thankfully, Ursula breaks the mold, allowing her to tread uncharted waters.
And how is this so, you might ask. Well, as we mentioned, McCarthy is known to provide comedic relief in almost every movie she’s in, be it a comedy or not. Rather significantly, in The Little Mermaid, Ursula isn’t really funny, at least not in the laugh-out-loud kind of way that has become a staple for McCarthy’s acting over the years. In fact, she’s much more serious, albeit with a few one-liners or some sarcastic delivery.
In the animated original, Ursula doesn’t take herself all too seriously. Yes, she’s on a mission to overthrow Triton and she isn’t too fond of prissy, perfect Ariel, but other than that, she’s here for a good time, not a long time. Oppositely, McCarthy’s portrayal doesn’t settle for any nonsense; she’s been banished to some hellhole cave for years, pushed out by her brother. She knows what she wants, doesn’t care who she hurts to get it, and honestly doesn’t allow herself to be overly funny because it might take away from how deadly serious she is about killing Triton and taking the throne.
As for the comedic relief in The Little Mermaid, that position is filled by the combined efforts of Daveed Diggs’ Sebastian and Awkwafina’s Scuttle, both of which have some of the best lines out of all the characters. This is unsurprising, especially since the same can be said of their counterparts from the animation, so that’s just expected of them.
In closing, McCarthy doesn’t need to provide the comedic relief because she’s done that her whole career, and as she navigates her 50s, she’s learning that there’s much more to her than a funny girl, minus the fat, because if I looked that good at 52, I would be blocking out the haters, too.
