While most kids grew up with a love for Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Hollywood star Melissa McCarthy only ever had eyes for the villain, Ursula.
The actress, 52, landed the role of a lifetime bringing to life her much-loved character, determined this time to nail the balance of “love” and, when necessary, contempt.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Stars of The Little Mermaid walk the blue carpet in Sydney.
Stream the world’s best reality, entertainment and true crime shows for free on 7Bravo on 7plus >>
“I think (Ursula is important) to show to not judge a book by its cover. I’ve always loved her, I think she’s very funny,” she tells 7Life on the blue carpet for Sydney’s The Little Mermaid premiere.
“I think she’s so dishy and she’s like a great broad and I want to have a drink with her.”
The actress recalls working as a babysitter in New York in the 90s – watching the original animated Disney flick every night with kids.
She recalls thinking to herself, “My god, I’d like to have a drink with Ursula”.
“But then to play her, I really have to kind of think about why she’s like she is.
“And I thought about the damage and kind of what fronts people put up to deflect from their vulnerabilities.”
McCarthy said that she then found herself with “great compassion” for the fictional sea witch.
“I just kind of fell in love with her,” she says.
And I think that’s a part of this whole new retelling. We’re all in love with the original.
“But I do think there’s something really relevant and how (director) Rob Marshall and Disney have retold the story that it really is about seeing someone, not as you think of them, but once you get to know them and seeing someone who is different from you and not judging them.
“So I think we can all use that right now.”
McCarthy adds that it was “a great balancing act” to feel “love” for for the character, while still “despising” her.
“I think my favorite thing is to play a character that on the surface isn’t the most likable, and then to make people kind of fall in love with them anyway, in spite of themselves.
“I think we all have so many friends and people we love that on the surface sometimes they need some explaining to people when you’re like, ‘You’re going to meet someone. They seem like a lot, I swear they’re really great’.”
“I think most of the people we really fall in love with as friends or whatever, it’s like they have all these quirks and ticks.
“So it’s what makes this interesting.”
The Little Mermaid hits Australian cinemas this Thursday.
For more engaging entertainment content, visit 7Life on Facebook.