Melissa McCarthy Says Drag Was A Big Influence On Her Ursula In ‘The Little Mermaid’ Remake

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 on the cover of People’s 2023 Beautiful Issue.

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

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

Happiest place on earth! Gigi Hadid took her birthday celebration to the next level by channeling her inner Disney princess in Orlando.

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.

Paddy McGuinness may now be known for being a TV presenter but he has revealed his little-known job before finding fame. The Bolton-born star rose to fame with the help of his pal Peter Kay, who invited him to appear in his programmes That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

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

Melissa McCarthy pulled influence from drag culture while portraying Ursula in the upcoming live action retelling of The Little Mermaid.

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.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Prince Eric will not be forcing himself on Ariel through song in Disney’s upcoming live-action “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Rob Marshall. Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who wrote the music for the 1989 animated movie, returned to work on the 2023 live-action remake and updated some of the song lyrics so they wouldn’t be outdated when it comes to consensual relationships. “There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken recently told Vanity Fair. “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice.”

upcoming live-action remake to emphasize consent and female empowerment. In an interview published Tuesday, Vanity Fair asked Alan Menken, the 73-year-old prolific Disney composer, if any changes needed to be made to the music from the 1989 animated flick.

The live-action Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King will have some of the songs updated to modern times, composer Alan Menken recently shared.

Alan Menken, who composed Disney’s most recognizable scores and songs, really enjoyed collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the live-action version of The Little Mermaid.

Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid film had a lot of people talking about who they wanted as Prince Eric after Halle Bailey landed the part of Ariel.

Harry Styles may not be playing Prince Eric in the live-action remake of , but he's always a king in our hearts!While it was long-rumored that the «As It Was» singer could be taking on the role of Ariel's prince, the part ultimately went to Jonah Hauer-King, and the film's director, Ron Marshall, is explaining why in a new interview with .While Marshall confirmed he spoke with Styles about playing Eric «once upon a time,» he shared that the  star «really felt like he wanted to go off and do the movies that he ended up doing, which were sort of darker» than Disney's reimagining of one of its most beloved fairy tales.As for Hauer-King, Marshall said the British actor, who previously appeared in PBS' 2017  miniseries, came with a «sweetness» and «deep passion» that he was looking for in the film's prince., who also spoke to Hauer-King and Ariel herself, Halle Bailey, noted that three other people were up for the part of Eric.«I didn't take her being kind to me as any indication,» Hauer-King recalled of his final audition round with Bailey. «I just assumed she was a lovely person and would've done that for anyone.»After returning to his trailer from the audition, Hauer-King told the outlet he heard a knock at his door.

Way back in 2019, it was reported that Harry Styles turned down the role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid live action remake, which will hit theaters next month on May 26.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The Little Mermaid” director Rob Marshall confirmed in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly that he met with pop superstar Harry Styles to play the role of Prince Eric opposite Halle Bailey’s Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake. Reports surfaced during the film’s casting process that Styles was being courted to play Prince Eric, but this is the first time Marshall has confirmed that discussions with the Grammy winner took place. Why did Styles turn down Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” remake? According to Marshall, the reason was twofold: He wanted to take on darker films and didn’t want to be in a musical as he made the jump from pop star to actor.

forever for the live action version of to hit our screens.  was first announced as Ariel in July 2019, but we didn’t get our first of the Disney adaptation until September last year. Luckily, we only have mere weeks to wait now as the film is slated for a May 26 release date, and we’re starting to find out exactly what changes we can expect to see on the big screen—including lyric changes to include consent.In a recent interview with , the film’s composer Alan Menken revealed that there would be tweaks to the lyrics of some of our favorite songs, including “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” “There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken said. We assume the lyrics he is talking about include the chorus which goes: “Yes, you want her / Look at her, you know you do / Possible she wants you too / There is one way to ask her / It don't take a word / Not a single word / Go on and kiss the girl.”These lyrics suggest that Prince Eric doesn’t need Ariel’s verbal consent to kiss her, which of course he does, but there’s the slight issue of the fact that she cannot speak. “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn,” Menken added.