Melissa McCarthy is the Ursula Lover of the drag queen world

It hits theaters worldwide today. One of the most anticipated movies of the year. New version of “The Little Mermaid” He earned that title because of the interest of those eager to see what Rob Marshall had done (“Chicago”) with the 1989 animated classic; By those who inflame racism against one another Protagonist’s appearance changes, now Caribbean, and the angelic face and voice of a young Halle Bailey. But Ariel’s transformation isn’t the only thing that’s notable in Disney’s new live-action movie, as none other than Javier Bardem. King Triton, the role of the villain has fallen to the comedian this time. Melissa McCarthy achieved global prominence two decades later “Gilmore Girls”and known for his roles “My Best Friend’s Wedding” oh “Can you ever forgive me?”submerged Ursula’s Tentacles To voice the best interview ever created in House of Mouse history.

“It was an amazing experience. Rob Marshall He has a wonderful, very loving way of working. He understands cinema as a collaborative effort, and I would even say that it helped me grow as an artist”, explains the actress, who attended LA RAZÓN from London and via video conference with the new Prince Eric (Joanna Hauer-King) and he continues: “The grace with which we were able to work on the project was incredible, beyond inclusion, of course. It’s incredible to work on something so big and so exceptional, and at the same time, it’s almost handmade, human, intimate. I feel this is a program that is respected by all”.

All the legs of an octopus

Despite the company’s complexity, it Started four years ago But while Pandemic is forced to pause, McCarthy believes the most difficult thing is the materialization of the character: “Both singing and dancing are huge challenges, but What I worked on the most was the vocals. It was completely out of my comfort zone. I’m a huge fan of the original, so I wanted to honor that and add something new. I had to overcome many fears, but I’m proud of the result”, admits the actress before recalling the shoot: “I had eight effects technicians, one for each octopus tentacle, around me at all times. I don’t think I’ll ever shoot something so complicated,” he adds.

Stepping out of that comfort zone and giving the villain his own comedic take “The Little Mermaid” Without being overtly funny, McCarthy also admits: “Yes, it’s far from my other characters, but I think it’s still funny. She’s so ironic, so ironic, because all the damage she believes has been done to her.. It was in that insecurity, in that loneliness that I leaned to craft a character that was three-dimensional, not so personal”, he adds, about a description that sang a very difficult song. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (“Poor Souls in Shame”) and in Spanish from Spain, with voice and dubbing Eve Diego.

Divine, John Waters and Drag Inspiration

Although Disney’s accounts have improved a lot since 1989, when Clements, Musker and Menken’s animated classic saved the company from bankruptcy, the reality is that it also has a relationship with diversity and inclusion. It is the new version “The Little Mermaid”. Skin tones aside, McCarthy’s Ursula is indeed a remedy for a historical wrong. When the animated film was first released, Disney didn’t openly acknowledge the villain, despite the obvious inspiration. inspired by the divine (Harris Glenn Milstead), the drag queen always associated with John Waters and his cinema kitsch. “Yes, of course I wanted to prove Divine. The character is full of her. When I saw the original film, I was sure they were going to publicize it, but it wasn’t the case. I’ve always been a fan. Divine, John Waters and anything related to drag.” Fortunately, thanks to my work, I met many people and understood their work. There is a unique belief in that whole world that works in an almost magical way. Because when you laugh about it, you respect what is canonically understood by women, I don’t know if there is any art form that can even approach that level of complexity.“, the actress explains directly.

And it continues, at a particularly difficult time for artist collectives in the United States, where states like Florida ban anyone dressed in drag, for example, at public readings or acts aimed at children: “Before even seeing the script, Rob and I knew the spirit needed to be preserved. Camp Ursulineto do Actually, it was our first conversation because we wanted to make it deeper, more conscious. We had to go for it from the beginning”, says McCarthy, who does not find the tone in the description, but ironically (I hope to know how much Paquita, a neighbor, is), his Ursula has more opportunities to shine, yes, the last test of audiences around the world, “The The Little Mermaid”, will be in live action and in theaters from May 26.