If you had to choose one Disney character to be your wingman/woman on a night out on the town, who would you choose? Well, Melissa McCarthy, star of Disney’s upcoming The Little Mermaid remake, thinks she’s got the perfect Saturday night figured out.
It isn’t unheard of for Disney actors to resonate with their characters, plus McCarthy has made it quite obvious that Ursula’s drag-inspired makeup is a salute to the LGBTQ+ community, so she feels particularly strong responsibility to deliver. The Little Mermaid enjoyed its blue carpet premiere on May 8, welcoming the cast and crew for an exclusive early screening, as well as some other Disney princesses besides the woman of the hour, Halle Bailey.
But let’s pivot back to Melissa McCarthy for a second. She dialed up the glam on Monday in an all-blue ensemble, complete with ruffled sleeves and silk gloves. In June 2019, McCarthy entered talks to play Ursula, but it wasn’t until February 2020 that she announced her involvement during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ever since, audiences have been eager to see what she’ll bring to the plate, especially as she takes on the difficult task of performing alongside scene-stealer Bailey and the likes of Javier Bardem.
She seems to have it all figured out, though. In fact, McCarthy has decided that she and Ursula would get along, possibly even going bar-hopping together. McCarthy spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, sharing her true thoughts on Ursula, whom she could see herself befriending at a local bar.
“Ursula is so damaged and such a juicy, dishy, conniving broad. I’ve always been, like, ‘That’s the gal I want to have a drink with.’”
Well, “juicy,” “dishy” and “conniving” aren’t words you thought you’d see in a sentence together, but McCarthy is full of surprises. In a weird and wonderful way, that description is rather apt for Ursula — if you know, you know. First don’t exactly portray her as the buddy-buddy type, especially as she seems to prefer working alone, but maybe a night or two as part of our world would change her sour perception of land-dwellers.
The Little Mermaid dives into theaters on May 26, 2023.
