Melissa McCarthy Discusses Her Inner Drag Queen, Says She Influenced Her Portrayal of Ursula in 'Little Mermaid'

Halle Bailey opened up about her experience filming The Little Mermaid in a new interview.

is a universal one, it became far more personal for Halle Bailey when she began filming the live-action reimagining in 2020. In an intimate interview for 's May issue, the 23-year-old opens up about how playing Disney's beloved mythical princess helped her embrace change and realize just how much she has in common with her character.An artist that has always seen herself as a musician first, Bailey explains that landing the role of Ariel was an unforeseen «blessing» that began «opening something new» within her.

upcoming live-action remake after solo character posters from the Halle Bailey-led film were released Wednesday. The new version of the originally plump yellow and blue animated fish — who despite his name is actually a tropical fish — appears mostly silver with dark blue stripes and only some yellow trickling down his scales.

Much of the focus on Disney’s promotion of their upcoming “Little Mermaid” remake is based around Halle Bailey’s take on Ariel. But the studio’s CinemaCon presentation of the film was dedicated to Ursula, as Melissa McCarthy stopped by in Las Vegas to unveil her performance as the dreaded Sea Witch.

first look at Melissa McCarthy as the wicked Ursula was also released on Wednesday.

“The Little Mermaid”

The seven main leads in The Little Mermaid are featured in character on these newly released character posters!

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Pour one out for the poor unfortunate souls who aren’t at CinemaCon. Attendees of the annual exhibition trade show were treated to the first-ever glimpse of Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in Disney’s upcoming “The Little Mermaid” remake, including a show-stopping rendition of the character’s signature number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” McCarthy didn’t perform live, but she came to Las Vegas to introduce a clip of the movie, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. In the dazzling footage, McCarthy channels Tallulah Bankhead with pitch-perfect flair as the evil sea witch convinces Ariel to part with her voice. Sporting dramatic makeup and a short, purple-ish updo, Ursula whips around her tentacles and shimmies through the sea alongside her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam while belting the evil anthem.

 is on! On Wednesday, Disney celebrated the upcoming premiere of its live-action reimagining of the studio's animated musical classic by releasing new character posters, a new teaser and the first single from the film's upcoming soundtrack.Fans are getting their first proper listen to Halle Bailey's rendition of the film's classic song, «Part of Your World,» which was briefly heard in previous trailers and sneak peeks.

Halle Bailey‘s “Part of Your World” is finally here!

Melissa McCarthy — and as evidenced by 's 2023 Beautiful Issue — she's definitely one of them. The beloved actress, who is set to star as Ursula in the upcoming live-action remake of , nabbed the cover of this year's issue, and ever the comedian, made a quip about who might have been behind the complimentary decision. «First I thought, 'Did my mom and my dad have the two main votes?» she jokes to . On a more serious note, the «incredibly flattered» McCarthy also highlighted the importance of inner beauty. «I also thought we’re in a nice place in the world where perfection doesn’t mean better or worse,» she says. «It comes from the inside and I like that a lot.

Melissa McCarthy is the cover star for People‘s 2023 “Beautiful Issue.”

Halle Bailey is opening up about her personal and professional life.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Marc Maron has joined the cast of Universal’s untitled New York Christmas movie, written by Richard Curtis, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually.” Maron is starring alongside Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu in the film, a fairy-tale comedy about a workaholic man who enlists the help of a magical genie to help win his family back before Christmas. Sam Boyd, who wrote and created the Anna Kendrick-led HBO Max series “Love Life,” will direct. It’s set to premiere on the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service Peacock on a yet-to-be-determined date.

Melissa McCarthy said drag queens were "100 percent" an influence behind her portrayal of the tentacled sea witch Ursula in the upcoming live-action "The Little Mermaid" flick set to hit theaters on Memorial Day weekend. McCarthy recently joined costar Halle Bailey and director Rob Marshall to discuss the upcoming film with Entertainment Weekly where she gave a brief spiel about her history with drag performances and how her drag queen persona spilled over into her portrayal of the infamous villainess.

Oscar-nominated actress, writer and producer Melissa McCarthy has been named as CinemaCon’s Cinema Vérité Award recipient for 2023.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has revealed that Harry Styles turned down a role in the live-action film due to the singer seeking more “darker” movies.The ‘As It Was’ singer was initially approached to be cast as Prince Eric in the new remake of children’s classic starring singer Halle Bailey. However, the Grammy Award winner declined the position.The director of The Little Mermaid, Rob Marshall, told Entertainment Weekly that he “met with” Styles and “he was lovely”.“What a wonderful guy,” said Marshall.

Melissa McCarthy looked to her origins performing in New York City under the drag name Miss Y as her inspiration for her Ursula on The Little Mermaid.

Javier Bardem is opening up about The Little Mermaid, and his role as King Triton in the live-action movie.

Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” is on the horizon, and star Halle Bailey is opening up about the intense training she undertook to pull off the film’s underwater sequences.