The Little Mermaid: Melissa McCarthy defends Ursula, says she ‘always loved her’ and calls her ‘misunderstood’

American actress Melissa McCarthy plays sea witch Ursula in the 2023 musical fantasy film The Little Mermaid. A live-action adaptation of the animated version, starring Halle Bailey, was released on May 26, 2023, and was a highly anticipated and widely debated project. The 52-year-old actress believes that the villain is nothing but a misunderstood character. Keep reading to find out what McCarthy shared about her thoughts on Ursula.

Melissa McCarthy defends Ursula, says The Little Mermaid villain is ‘misunderstood’

During the latest episode of First We Feast’s Hot Ones, McCarthy defended the sea witch, saying she thinks Ursula felt betrayed by her family and that her demeanor and confidence are just masks to hide her pain and loneliness. . The host said that after watching The Little Mermaid he couldn’t help but feel for Ursula, as she had been banished to a dark corner of the ocean with no one to hang out with except her fish and she had asked to take the character.

Read also: The Little Mermaid: where and how to watch the movie online? Release date, cast, streaming details, and more

McCarthy responded, “Oh my God, I think she’s completely misunderstood. I always loved her and thought she was – going back to Michael Harney, like ‘What’s her armor? ‘ And her armor is the makeup, and the hair, and the attitude, but it’s there to cover up for her loneliness. She feels betrayed by her family, and her isolation, it’s like, yeah, someone’s barking really bad. But why are they doing this?” She said that while playing those two sides, she “fell in love.”

According to the 2023 film The Little Mermaid, Ursula is the younger sister of King Triton, who was banished from Atlantica for 15 years because he used dark magic. This was not in the original animated version, but was the inspiration for the 2008 Broadway stage production of The Little Mermaid. Previously, McCarthy and Javier Bardem, who plays Triton, have said they would love to be a part of a Triton and Ursula prequel spin-off.