In a recent interview, actress Melissa McCarthy revealed that the most nerve-wracking part of playing Ursula in the upcoming live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” was singing.
“I’m not a singer,” McCarthy said. “I’m a comedian. So singing in front of people was really scary.”
She said about getting the part, “When I got it, and I knew I was doing it, then it was, like, ‘What have you done? Like, what have you possibly done?’”
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.’ And I was, like, ‘First of all, thanks, Eric.’ But he was right,” she said.
“I was, like, ‘I don’t know how to do things if it’s not in character,'” she continued. “And he’s, like, ‘Singing is the same thing.’ And then it made sense to me. I said, ‘I don’t know how to do something in any area perfectly, but if I can do it in character…’”
McCarthy also said that she was inspired by the original voice actress for Ursula, Pat Carroll. “Pat Carroll is a legend,” McCarthy said. “I wanted to do her justice.”
McCarthy said that she is excited to share her version of Ursula with the world. “I think people are going to be surprised,” McCarthy said. “I’m not playing Ursula the way you think I’m going to play her.”
The live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” was released in theaters on May 26, 2023.
In addition to McCarthy, the film also stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Sebastian. The film is directed by Rob Marshall.
I haven't seen a SINGLE PERSON talking about he Melissa McCarthy ATE IT UP as Ursala. >___<
She really impressed me. I honestly wasn't sure when they announced the casting, but the more I saw the more confident I got.
She really went all in! pic.twitter.com/DABppOuiBo
— Derek Halliday (Hive Social: @dthalliday ) (@DTHalliday) May 29, 2023
