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\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Melissa McCarthy<\/strong><\/a> pulled influence from drag culture while portraying Ursula in the upcoming live action retelling of The Little Mermaid<\/strong><\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n The 52-year-old actress plays the wicked sea witch, who will face off against Halle Bailey<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s version of Ariel in the new movie. <\/p>\n Fans may not be aware, but Ursula was originally inspired by a drag queen named Divine<\/strong>. Melissa <\/strong>addressed drag culture in a recent interview while discussing how she got into character. <\/p>\n Read more about Melissa McCarthy\u2019s prep to play Ursula\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Speaking with Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/em>, Melissa <\/strong>said that she \u201c100 percent\u201d pulled from drag culture for the role. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a drag queen that lives in me. I\u2019m always right on the verge of going full-time with her,\u201d she explained. Melissa <\/strong>has previously revealed that she performed in drag at the start of her career<\/a> as a comedian. <\/p>\n \u201cI really dressed to rival a drag queen, for sure. I had a gold lam\u00e9 swing coat on, a huge wig, big eyelashes,\u201d she said in a 2014 interview. \u201cI talked about being incredibly wealthy and beautiful and living extravagantly.\u201d<\/p>\n Her drag persona was named Miss Y! <\/p>\n Of course, Ursula isn\u2019t exactly like the queen of her past: \u201cShe\u2019s been put in this lair. It\u2019s like she\u2019s 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, \u2018Many a Pall Mall has this woman had,\u201d she said about the sea witch. <\/p>\n We\u2019ve learned a lot about the movie in recent weeks. King Triton actor Javier Bardem<\/strong><\/a> reacted to the fact that the king would not be shirtless<\/a>. <\/p>\n Halle <\/strong>addressed how her retelling of Ariel will be different than the original<\/a> and opened up about racist trolls who were upset by her casting<\/a>. <\/p>\n The film hits theaters on May 26, 2023. Watch the trailer below!<\/p>\n \n