The actress was especially drawn to the role of Ursula the sea witch. "I loved her so much.She's such a broad, I just wanted to have a drink with her," McCarthy says. "And yes, she's the villain, but I was like, I think I get her.
McCarthy has confirmed her performance as Ursula was an homage to drag queens and it's been confirmed by animator Rob Minkoff that the 1989 film's animated character was based on drag queen Divine at the direction of lyricist and creative Howard Ashman.
She said she went in thinking, "I have to try to sing perfectly," a mindset she had to overcome to get comfortable with the character. Her vocal coach challenged her perfectionist attitude bluntly, she said. "It was really once he's like, 'You can't. You're not going to do that.
Lizzo showcased her audition for The Little Mermaid's Ursula in a since-privated viral video. She didn't get the part, but she "was down to make Ursula a THOT, shaking ass." The role went to Melissa McCarthy, whom Lizzo met during a taping of Adele's "One Night Only" concert.
Melissa McCarthy on playing Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid’ remake
Who auditioned for Ariel in The Little Mermaid?
Director Rob Marshall reveals what it was like seeing Halle Bailey's initial audition for Ariel. “The first actor we saw for this role was Halle. The first thing she did is she came in and sang for us.
Director Rob Marshall had auditioned the crème de la crème of young Hollywood for the role, and even Zendaya was rumored to have read for the part. But it was movie newcomer Bailey who won the coveted lead.
How much did Halle Bailey get paid for Little Mermaid?
It's believed that Bailey made about $1.5 million for her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but that number could increase depending on how well the film performs opening weekend and beyond.
While the original, animated Ursula was inspired by a drag queen named Divine, according to the film's animators, McCarthy's version of the character was styled differently. Because the character is a villain, the makeup artist told Johnson that he didn't want McCarthy to look like a drag queen.
According to Showbiz Galore, she was reportedly paid $1.5 million to don the tail and seashells, though some news outlets reported slightly more modest earnings of $500,000. Despite the online backlash about casting a Black Ariel, this project made Halle Bailey a household name, especially among young Disney fans.
Ursula: [singing] If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet / You've got to pay the toll / Take a gulp and take a breath and go ahead and sign the scroll! / Flotsam, Jetsam, now I've got her, boys / The boss is on a roll / This poor unfortunate soul!
The original character in the 1989 movie was inspired by the triple threat drag queen, actor, and singer Divine, a fact that was mere speculation at first, but has since been confirmed by those involved with the film. Divine catapulted to cult fame after appearing in Pink Flamingos, John Waters' filthy 1972 comedy.
"Getting to sing 'Poor Unfortunate Souls,' I mean, it is a fever dream," McCarthy says in the clip. "I went to rehearsals for months and months, and I wanted to do that music and the character proud." The A-list star suggests that her character may have missed her calling as a sultry chanteuse.
When Ursula and Triton's father died, the pair were given equal share of the sea plus two magical items. Triton received the trident while Ursula received the magic Nautilus shell. Though the two were meant to rule the seas together, Ursula's greed and use of dark magic to usurp Triton led to her being banished.
There were a lot of very confused people a few years ago when it was revealed that Halle Bailey had been cast as the live-action Ariel and people, who did not know Bailey from her music career, believed that Halle Berry had been cast in the role.
[The Little Mermaid] (1989): Ursula's pseudonym, Vanessa, was an intentional reference. "Vanessa" was a name made up by Jonathan Swift (that's not an important part) for a character based on a woman named Esther Vanhomrigh, "Van" from her surname and "Essa" being a then-common pet name form of Esther.
I Think About This a Lot: Ursula Applying Red Lipstick in The Little Mermaid. Sealed With a Kiss is a series of stories devoted to the transformations that come with a swipe of lipstick.
“The Little Mermaid” has bombed with moviegoers in China and South Korea amid racist critiques in some quarters over the casting of Black actress Halle Bailey as main character Ariel. Disney's live-action remake has made only $3.6 million in mainland China since opening there on May 26, according to Box Office Mojo.
In late 1986, Benson first heard of the audition for The Little Mermaid through lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman. The two had just worked together in the Broadway show Smile until its run ended early. He knew she would be the perfect fit for the role and that she would be a great replica of Ariel.
“But I really did admire the fact that because I'm a Black woman and I have locs, [the producers] wanted to incorporate that into Ariel's look,” she added. To get the look, Halle Bailey worked with hairstylist Camille Friend to dye her roots red and wrap her locks in the same hued hair.
The live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid utilized CGI and special effects to create the underwater world and was filmed in Sardinia, Italy, to give it a Caribbean feel. The villages of Santa Teresa di Gallura and Castelsardo in Sardinia were used to film various scenes.
Why did Disney choose a black actress for The Little Mermaid?
He says they were looking for the best actor for the role of any ethnicity who could not only sing but convey traits such as strength, passion, beauty, joy and intelligence, which they found in Bailey.
(MORE: 'Little Mermaid Live': Who will play Ariel, Ursula, Sebastian and more!) Queen Latifah stars alongside actress Auli'i Cravalho who will play Ariel and reggae singer Shaggy who will play Ariel's friend, Sebastian.
