Melissa McCarthy Shares Thoughts on Lizzo After Landing New Role in Little Mermaid
Melissa McCarthy had iconic commentary in light of finding out that Lizzo too auditioned for the part of Ursula in the upcoming Little Mermaid production: “Well, why the h*ll did I get the part?”
After discovering Disney’s plans to produce a live-action Little Mermaid, Lizzo instantly took to Twitter to pitch herself for the role of Ursula. The singer posted a video covered in lavender paint, wearing a voluminous white wig and drag-inspired makeup, all while belting her rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” The video was captioned, “I’M URSULA. PERIOD. @Disney.”
I’M URSULA. PERIOD. @Disney pic.twitter.com/9YPVPPvVpz
— LIZZOOOOO (@lizzo) November 1, 2018
Much to the singer’s dismay, her passionate pursuit was unsuccessful as Disney granted the Ursula role to actress Melissa McCarthy. This casting triggered a diverse response. Though fans pointed out McCarthy’s remarkable acting abilities, they simultaneously expressed their desire for Ursula to go to a black woman or drag queen. The Ursula character was originally inspired by the deceased Divine (drag queen), hence why many fans believe that the role should have gone to a more underrepresented group.
They’re saying it should be casted to either honor the creative history of Ursula or cast her black since some ppl read her as a black woman. There’s also connections to ballroom culture, black& Latin queers, and black women that probably conflate two readings of Ursula
— Drake (@arch_brake) February 25, 2022
Lizzo and McCarthy had a rendevous after the fact, as they both attended Adele’s CBS concert. After bonding over their shared name (Lizzo’s real name is Melissa), Lizzo shared that she too auditioned for the part of Ursula. Upon hearing this, McCarthy shot back, “Well, why the h*ll did I get the part?” Lizzo was amused at the iconic response, which she deemed to be a “classic Melissa McCarthy thing to say.”
Despite poking fun at her audition, Lizzo reassured fans that her audition actually went extremely well. “My audition was good. You can ask Disney. I don’t want to talk too much about it. The singing was great. I’ll just say that.” She went on to share her intentions for the role, stating, “I was down to make Ursula a TH*T, shaking a**.” Lizzo’s dancing and twerking abilities have played a major part in her rise to fame.
Halle Ariel shared a little bit about her The Little Mermaid. It’s gonna be a Magical Underwater World 🧜🏽♀️ pic.twitter.com/D1fyZs2mGB
— The Little Mermaid Live Action Remake. (@mermaid_remake) September 29, 2021
Disney has confirmed a release date of May 26, 2023 for the film. The cast includes Halle Bailey (Ariel), Melissa McCarthy (Ursula), Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), and Awkwafina (Scuttle). For the Lizzo stans, her new Prime Video series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls will launch on March 25.
