Melissa McCarthy has already recorded her songs for Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid. McCarthy’s name first bubbled up as being a part of the highly-anticipated remake back in 2019. The Bridesmaids icon eventually went ahead and signed on to play the villainous sea witch Ursula. Disney confirmed the star-studded principal cast in December of 2020, touting Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning talents.
Halle Bailey (Grown-ish) leads the cast as yearning red-headed mermaid Ariel. Oscar-winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) plays her father, the powerful King Triton, aided by Tony-winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as Sebastian. Rounding out the cast is Jacob Tremblay (Room) as Flounder, Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home) as Prince Eric, and Oscar-winner Awkwafina (The Farewell) as Scuttle. The production team is equally acclaimed, with Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda teaming up to bring both beloved tunes from the classic and new music to the film. Musical maven Rob Marshall steers the production ship as director.
Melissa McCarthy teased SiriusXM with some updates on the film, most notably revealing that she’s already laid down all her vocal tracks. “Like I’ve already recorded, you know, I did all my rehearsals in London,” she said. The Emmy-winner continued to say that she hasn’t actually begun filming yet, adding: “I’m going back in about a month to actually get to do the scenes that we rehearsed.”
As with many of her co-stars, McCarthy expressed how unbelievable it all feels. “I still kind of can’t believe it’s happening,” she said. The comedic genius went on to discuss how she never fathomed she’d have a “couple numbers in a movie” or a “60-foot clamshell.” At this stage, excitement is really the only thing the cast can tease without giving away Disney magic.
While McCarthy doesn’t usually play the villain, she’s certainly got a knack for tapping into the core of larger-than-life characters. From her brash Bridesmaids breakout to her heartbreaking performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, McCarthy’s shown she’s got the vaudevillian charm needed for the half-octopus, half-woman creature. She’s even playing Marvel villain Fake Hela in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which has been filming in Australia.
Upon news of The Little Mermaid casting choice, there was some concern over whether McCarthy had the vocal prowess needed to belt out Ursula’s iconic songs. Although she’s not synonymous with musicals, McCarthy previously proved she’s got vocal chops by singing a duet with none other than Barbra Streisand on her 2016 album ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway. The pair sang “Anything You Can Do”, and after listening, it’s clear that anyone doubting McCarthy’s ability doesn’t have much to fear.
Source: SiriusXM
About The Author
