For Melissa McCarthy, Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid’ is More Than Just a Villain

For Melissa McCarthy, playing Ursula in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (May 26) started with terror. “That song [“Poor Unfortunate Souls”] looms so large for me that if I can't do it, I shouldn't be doing it,” McCarthy told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Fortunately for us, she did it—and did it well. That’s partly because she saw Ursula as more than just a villain. “She’s not just ostracized, she's isolated...She's so in the gray murky area; one second it's real, the next it's a con, then a grift, then an attack, then it's just pain and vulnerability. She is such a complicated character.” The animated Ursula was heavily inspired by the drag queen Divine, which made the character even more rich for McCarthy. “There has never been a world without drag. And I do not care to ever see a world without drag.” Directed by Rob Marshall and with Halle Bailey as Ariel, McCarthy has nothing but praise for them. “He did this beautiful thing. He built the world we all want to live in. There's variety there. It's like everybody wins. Everybody has their seat at the table. Halle leads this movie with such strength. This isn't like girls need help from the prince. It's like Halle is charging to her destiny.” Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘For the Culture newsletter. Follow H. Alan Scott on everything at @HAlanScott. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.