Jessica Alexander as Vanessa, Ursula's human alter ego, which she uses to sabotage her deal with Ariel. Alexander was announced to have been cast on March 1, 2021. She described her character as "a seductress, a temptress, the definition of a femme fatale and a sexy female villain."

Who plays Vanessa in The New Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid (2023) - Jessica Alexander as Vanessa - IMDb.

Is Vanessa supposed to look like Ariel?

She is a slim woman with an hourglass figure, and in many respects resembles Ariel (it is believed that this was deliberate, to fit in with Eric's hazy recollections of the woman on the beach). Vanessa and Ariel wear their hair in the same style, have nearly identical facial structures, and comparable body types.

Why didn t Melissa McCarthy play Vanessa?

While a crucial role in the film's plot, Marshall explained why they chose to go with a relatively unknown actor. "I really didn't want to do too many stunt [castings]," he said. "We already had Melissa McCarthy playing Ursula, so to have another well-known person playing her as Vanessa just felt weird."

Why isn t Vanessa in The Little Mermaid musical?

This is for pragmatic reasons, since having a trained dog onstage is impractical. Ursula's alter-ego Vanessa isn't in the play. She was intended to appear but was removed when her original actress complained that introducing Vanessa made Ursula out of character.

Alan Menken - Vanessa's Trick (From "The Little Mermaid")

Is Vanessa in the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid?

Ursula's alter ego, Vanessa, is also not included, thereby omitting the subplot of Eric's brainwashing, leading to "The Contest". In the film, Flotsam and Jetsam are killed when Ursula accidentally zaps them with the trident; in the musical they swim away after Ariel takes Ursula's nautilus shell.

Is Vanessa in New Little Mermaid?

In The Little Mermaid remake, Jessica Alexander plays Ursula's human form Vanessa who may look innocent on the outside, but she also seems a little peculiar.

Who auditioned for Ariel 2023?

Disney's live-action “The Little Mermaid” had “no agenda” when it came to the casting of Ariel, director Rob Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. The “Chicago” and “Into the Woods” director said his team auditioned “every ethnicity” for the role before landing on singer Halle Bailey.

Is Ursula a drag queen?

Ursula was initially going to resemble Joan Collins, however, basing the character on Divine made much more sense. "It just seemed like a funny and quirky idea," Minkoff added, "to take [Ursula] and treat her more like a drag queen."

Why was there no chef scene in The Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall explained why Disney's live-action remake chose not to include Chef Louis. "That's when you realize we're not an animated movie," Marshall told SFX Magazine. "The animated movie stays forever, and people can go and watch that. This needs to work in a realistic way.

Are Triton and Ursula siblings?

In this novel, Ursula is King Triton's younger sister who was betrayed by him as a child for choosing a tentacled form instead of a mermaid's tail, and grew up as a human in the town of Ipswich with an adoptive human father.

Is Queen Latifah in The New Little Mermaid?

(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.

Why is Ursula called Vanessa?

The name of Ursula's human disguise, "Vanessa", is derived from the Latin word "Vanitas", meaning "Vanity," "Worthlessness," "Emptiness," and "Nothingness." Interestingly enough, a character named Vanitas appears as one of the main villains of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, but unrelated to Ursula.

Is Jessica Alexander LGBTQ?

Alexander is openly bisexual. She is an advocate for the LGBT community and has been referred to as a queer icon. She uses her Instagram to spread awareness about LGBT-related issues.

Is John Stamos in The New Little mermaid?

Again. ABC announced Wednesday that the Fuller House star has been added to the star-studded cast of the network's The Little Mermaid Live!, set to air on Nov. 5. Stamos will play Chef Louis, a role he first played at the Hollywood Bowl's production of the Disney animated classicin 2016.

Why is Ursula skinny?

But in a desire to re-market these ladies to a chic clientele, it appears that they decided to shave more than a few pounds off of Ursula the Sea Witch and Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts. Because in order to be fashionable, you must be thin. The fact is, Ursula was fashionable.

Did Ursula have a daughter?

Meet Uma, fierce leader of the high seas, daughter of Ursula, the sea witch, and the newest villainess-in-training in Disney's Descendants 2!

What happened to Ariel's mom?

While it is known that her mother perished, there is no story attached to the event. However, much later, in 2008, an animated The Little Mermaid prequel revealed that Ariel's mother was crushed by a pirate ship during an altercation between humans and merpeople.

Was Zendaya supposed to play Ariel?

Fellow Disney (and Spider-Man: Far From Home and Euphoria) star Zendaya, who was once rumored to play Ariel, tweeted the casting news saying that she's here for it. And Bailey herself, from her music group's account, tweeted that the chance to play Ariel is a dream come true.

Was Zendaya supposed to be Ariel?

Zendaya Says Her Reported Casting in The Little Mermaid Is Still "Just a Rumor" Make this happen, Hollywood. Rumors that Zendaya will play Ariel in Disney's long-awaited live-action version of The Little Mermaid have been swirling for some time, with some outlets reporting that she was offered the role in August.

Did Zendaya play Ariel?

Before Bailey's casting was confirmed, rumors floated around for months that Zendaya was in the running for Ariel. While she later denied any talks took place with Disney, she did admit that the role was appealing.

Who is Vanessa to Ursula?

As Ariel lives out her dream of finding true love on the surface world, Ursula sabotages her happiness while disguised as human alter-ego Vanessa. As with all the other roles in the film, director Rob Marshall was determined to find the perfect person for the job.

Who plays Vanessa in Little mermaid live?

But the film also features a handful of fresh faces, like Jessica Alexander, who plays Ursula's human alter ego, Vanessa. Alexander wanted to pursue acting from a young age and landed her first major role on the Italian teen drama, "Penny on M.A.R.S.," which aired on Disney Channel in Italy from 2018 to 2020.

Is Ursula Ariel's aunt?

10 Ursula Is Triton's Sister & Ariel's Aunt

In the 2023 film version of The Little Mermaid, Ursula is presented as being Triton's younger sister, who had been exiled from their underwater kingdom. This also makes Ursula Ariel's aunt, bringing to mind Disney's long line of wicked matriarchs.