“To keep the humor and the sadness and the edginess to Ursula is everything I want in a character - and frankly, everything I want in a drag queen. I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her,” McCarthy told Entertainment Weekly earlier this month, adding that drag “100 percent” influenced her portrayal of Ursula. Sadly, Divine, real name Glenn Milstead, didnt actually get to bring Ursula to life. Needless to say, the actress’ love and appreciation for drag goes deep and the original inspiration carried on with the remake. appearance and demeanor, by drag legend and John Waters muse Divine. McCarthy, as she told Rolling Stone in 2017, used to perform as a drag queen in New York under the name Miss Y before her acting career took off and even dressed as Divine for Entertainment Weekly’s Comedy Issue in 2011. Ironically, when McCarthy was announced as Ursula, many fans felt the casting was a bad decision - saying the role should have gone to a drag queen, as Ursula’s original design in the 1989 animated feature was inspired by actor and drag queen Divine. Ursula’s character in the original Little Mermaid was inspired by the late drag performer Divine and was described as the “Drag Queen of the Century” by People magazine in 1988. In a new interview ahead of the movie’s release, the actress and mom of two opened up about taking on the role of the iconic sea witch and confirmed that she was “100 percent” inspired by drag queens. 1.Melissa McCarthy has starred in countless blockbuster dramas and comedies like Bridesmaids and Tammy, and now we’re about to see her shine once again in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid as Ursula. Yet when revisiting The Little Mermaid as an adult, I realized that Ursula is one of the few examples of a female anti-hero I encountered as a kid, and a character I will now always cheer for. Ursulas appearance was also inspired by American actor and drag queen Divine. I can count the number of female characters in film and TV who fall into the category, however, on one hand. In a TV era full of Walter Whites and Tony Sopranos, the anti-hero is almost always male, a guy who makes evil or violent choices for what seem like the right reasons, earning street cred and acclaim from viewers. Well, perhaps anti-hero is a more fitting title. At 25, however, I no longer hide from the villain - and in fact, I've come to think that Ursula is actually the hero of The Little Mermaid. West recalls a touching moment on the Little Mermaid blue carpet this past year. Ultimately, Melissa McCarthy was cast in the part for the 2023 remake, and openly acknowledged the character’s drag inspiration as well as making connections with real queens. When Ursula, the story's big bad, took to the screen, I would run behind the entertainment center and cover my eyes, a fact my mom loves to remind me about whenever she gets the chance. Melissa McCarthy embraced Ursula’s drag roots. I'd baby-cackle at the French chef as he chased around Sebastian and felt a deep surge of emotion as she Ariel hugged her father goodbye at the end of the movie. Whenever Ariel was on screen, I would sing along with blind enthusiasm until my vocal chords - what's the word? - burned. Ursula shone in every possible way in 'The Little Mermaid,' and all of it was inspired by one performer, Divine, a.k.a Glenn Milstead, a drag queen icon. Like many other people, my most-loved film as a child was The Little Mermaid.
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