“It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone.
Her friends are eels,” says McCarthy of the iconic sea witch.
In 2011,Melissa McCarthyparticipated ina photo shootwithEntertainment Weeklyas the cover star ofthe upcoming comedy issue.
Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid’.Disney
She dressed asDivine, the popular drag queen known for her association with filmmaker John Waters.
“It still is the one I always talk about.”
“Which is always what I thought when it was first out, animated,” McCarthy remarks.
“I was like, ‘That’s somebody who enjoys some Divine and some John Waters.’
That’s all we watched in college.”
“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.”
“She’s been put in this lair.
It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone.
Her friends are eels,” McCarthy describes.
“That is a woman who has seen it, been in it, dug her way back out.
So McCarthy would watch along a little portion each night before bed.
“And I said, ‘What do you mean?’
That was really where I began before I stepped into comedy and acting.'”
“Poor Unfortunate Souls”
Singing once petrified McCarthy.
There was a time where she couldn’t even hum a tune in front of her friends.
“It’s the thing that scares me the most,” she admits.
In 2017, McCarthy and her husband and frequent collaboratorBen Falconewere linked toMargie Claus, a holiday-themed movie musical.
The actress confirms, “We’re still waiting on that one [to happen].”
But after that small taste of singing, she craved more.
“I literally was like, ‘like, like, like!
I’ll bring craft services.
I make a great chicken salad, hummus.
I can bring snacks,'” McCarthy remembers.
“It’s really astonishing.
That includes her performance of “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”
McCarthy leaned into the reality of Ursula’s isolation when approaching the musical number.
The concept of that suddenly seemed really fun.”
“But no one’s ready for Melissa McCarthy,” he notes of “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”
“She brings all of the delicious camp from the original, but then also is just scary.
If that’s your favorite song, you’re going to be happy.”
Read Little MermaidinEW’s digital cover story.
The film opens in theaters May 26.
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