The Little Mermaid made an unexpected choice when it cast Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in the live-action adaption, but according to the trailer, this was no mistake. Halle Bailey made headlines in 2019 when she was cast as the lead princess Ariel for good reasons and bad. Disney infuriated some over casting a black actress as a princess that was portrayed as white in the animated film. Luckily, this fury was soon washed away by excitement. In September, a slew of videos went viral of young black girls reacting to The Little Mermaid teaser, expressing enthusiasm for seeing someone who looks like them playing the role of Ariel.
McCarthy's casting as Ursula was also quite controversial. The Little Mermaid fans didn't see this coming and had a list of people they thought should have played the purple squid. McCarthy was not on it. There was also a lot of disappointment surrounding Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. Harry Styles enthusiasts had been fan-casting him for months, and when the cast was revealed and the "As It Was" singer didn't make the cut, they were displeased. However, with the official trailer out, it seems the casting director made the right choice for every role, including Ursula.
The Little Mermaid Trailer Hints Melissa McCarthy Is Getting Ursula Right
Bailey showed up at the 2023 Oscars to premiere The Little Mermaid's official trailer, revealing that McCarthy is not letting anyone down with her depiction of Ursula. The Bridesmaids actress briefly appears, but her clip is enough to prove that she's got her Ursula impression down and she's ready to let her evil side shine through. In The Little Mermaid clip, Ursula tells Ariel she can't live in the human world unless she's human too, and offers to help her. Ursula then uses her powers to give Ariel legs, allowing her to swim to the surface, where Scuttle (Awkwafina) and Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) notice something is different in her appearance.
McCarthy has everything down from Ursula's manipulative tone to her signature evil laugh. In addition, the actress nails how Ursula disguises her twisted ways as endearing, which plays well into Bailey's naive and hopeful disposition. Despite the initial concern, if McCarthy brought what's shown in the trailer to The Little Mermaid's casting director, it's easy to see why they chose her for the role. The live-action The Little Mermaid's Ursula may not have been fans' first pick, but the initial criticism has died down since she's proven her ability to transform into the Disney villain like she was made for the role.
Why Melissa McCarthy Was A Divisive Choice For The Little Mermaid's Ursula
There are a few reasons McCarthy wasn't a fan-favorite choice for Ursula. One was fans didn't imagine her in the role. Many The Little Mermaid fans initially thought Queen Latifah would be the perfect fit. The actress played the Disney Villain in ABC's The Little Mermaid Live! in 2019 and is known for her work in movie musicals like Hairspray and Chicago.
Another reason is that fans hoped Disney would finally cast a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The Little Mermaid's Ursula is known to be inspired by American drag queen Divine, who starred as Edna Turnblad in the original 1988 Hairspray film. Having a drag queen portray Ursula would have been a beautiful way to honor Divine, who ed away from heart failure in 1988.
McCarthy might not be The Little Mermaid fans' first choice, and she might not even be the best choice out of all the possible actresses who could have played her. However, there's no denying the actress knows exactly what she's doing. There's no need to worry, as McCarthy's got Ursula down to a T.
