Melissa McCarthy Says Her Portrayal of Ursula in The Little Mermaid Was Inspired by Drag Queens

The highly anticipated upcoming film The Little Mermaid is set to be released theatrically next month. As Rob Marshall’s reimagined film nears its release date, actors in the movie share some stories behind the scenes. One of them is Melissa McCarthy, who will portray the modern-day Ursula on the big screen. The actress shed some light on the inspiration behind her portrayal of Ursula in the film.

Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the film. During the interview, McCarthy shared how she approached portraying the infamous villain. She explained,

“She’s the villain, but there’s such an edge to her,” McCarthy said of Ursula. “She’s been put in this lair. It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone. Her friends are eels. That is a woman who has seen it, been in it, dug her way back out. All my references are terrible, but I kept thinking, ‘Many a Pall Mall has this woman had.’”

The actress used to perform as a drag queen in New York clubs, so she seized the opportunity to play Ursula inspired by her drag performances. She said,

“There’s a drag queen that lives in me,” McCarthy said. “I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her… To keep the humor and the sadness and the edginess to Ursula is everything I want in a character — and frankly, everything I want in a drag queen.”

McCarthy further admits that she’s a big fan of drag shows. She added,

“I’m a huge, huge fan of drag shows and the whole art of it and the entertainment of it,” McCarthy said, noting that she has “been going to shows since I was not supposed to be going to shows.”

RELATED: The Little Mermaid Teaser Reveals More of Halle Bailey’s Ariel, First Look at Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula

A Whole New Melissa McCarthy No One Saw Coming

While everyone has seen Halle Bailey’s portrayal of Ariel through the promotional videos, according to the Award-winning composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, everyone will be surprised at how good Melissa McCarthy is in the film. She said,

“Everyone’s seen the trailer, and now you know how good Halle’s gonna be, ’cause she sounds incredible,” Miranda says of the recording artist’s rendition of “Part of Your World.” “But no one’s ready for Melissa McCarthy. She brings all of the delicious camp from the original, but then also is just scary,” Miranda adds. “If that’s your favorite song, you’re going to be happy.”

The Little Mermaid opens in movie theaters on May 26.