The Little Mermaid actress Melissa McCarthy is taking a stand against the rising anti-drag legislation: “Don’t pretend it’s a problem now.”
We are just days away from seeing Melissa McCarthy rock a white wig and purple tentacles on screen when the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid hits theaters. In the new film, McCarthy will play Ursula, the loud and boisterous sea witch inspired by the late drag queen Divine.
Currently, the 52-year-old comedian is busy promoting the upcoming Disney film. But she is not too busy to take a stand and deliver a message to conservatives about the rising number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, especially towards drag performers and trans youth.
McCarthy shared an image on Instagram showing many mainstream films like Mrs. Doubtfire and Some Like it Hot, saying, “You’ve been entertained by drag all your life. Don’t pretend it’s a problem now.” To The Guardian, she elaborated on her stance and said she finds it “absolute lunacy” that lawmakers focus on drag performances rather than other more serious concerns.
“Of all the scary and dangerous things going on in the world, they want to concentrate on this? To anybody who has a real problem with drag, I need to ask: have you been to a drag brunch? It’s delightful.”
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Melissa McCarthy and Rob Marshall Talk Divine Inspiration
McCarthy has also spoke openly about Ursula’s drag origins and how she brought that inspiration into her performance.
“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,” McCarthy said.
Early on in her career, the actress performed in New York City nightclubs as a drag queen named Miss Y.
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“There’s a drag queen that lives in me,” she told the outlet. “I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her.”
Director Rob Marshall also confirmed the villains’ origin and how it plays out in the new adaptation.
“I love that she was originally inspired by Divine, the wonderful drag actor, who was so original and so funny,” he said. “We really used Divine as our inspiration because that’s where it started.
“This character is an injured character and she was able to find all that depth and emotion, in addition to all the other colours.”
The Little Mermaid will hit theaters on May 25, 2023.
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