Melissa McCarthy says drag inspired her Ursula performance

Melissa McCarthy is giving fans a preview of her performance as Ursula in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Tuesday (April 4th), the Bridesmaids actress said drag inspired how she brought the role to life.

“There’s a drag queen that lives in me,” McCarthy told the outlet. “I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her.” The Tammy actress even began her career performing as the drag persona Miss Y at nightclubs in New York City.

“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,” she said. The Little Mermaid composer Alan Menken also told the outlet that Ursula is inspired by Divine from Pink Flamingos.

Speaking about Ursula, McCarthy added, “She’s been put in this lair. It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone. Her friends are eels. That is a woman who has seen it, been in it, dug her way back out. All my references are terrible, but I kept thinking, ‘Many a Pall Mall has this woman had.’”