Melissa McCarthy as Ursula (L) and Javier Bardem as King Triton inThe Little Mermaid(2023).Photo:Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection (2)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection (2)
Will we soon be able to learn more about the sibling rivalry between Ursula and King Triton?
In a conversation withThe Hollywood Reportersurrounding their turns as the conniving sea witch and Ariel’s royal father, respectively, inThe Little Mermaid, actorsMelissa McCarthyandJavier Bardemexpressed their desire for another film —or films! — about their characters.
“I need an Ursula spinoff, and since our characters are siblings, I want to have one scene with her while having dinner,” said Bardem, 54.
“Let’s go for six or seven if we’re throwing it out there. C’mon!” added McCarthy, 52.
Fans of the new film and its animated predecessor will be familiar with the chip Ursula has on her shoulder in her desire to reign over her brother’s undersea kingdom — and the lengths she will go to in said quest, including attempting to trick Triton’s teenage daughter Ariel (Halle Bailey) into giving up her voice and, ultimately, her freedom.
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Halle Bailey as Ariel inThe Little Mermaid(2023).Courtesy of Disney
Courtesy of Disney
The two couldn’t help but rave about one another’s performances in the new film, a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1989 animatedoffering of the same name.
For McCarthy, her “nervous” feelings over meeting Bardem for the first time “went away within two seconds” after she met the actor, whom she described toTHRas “like a walking warm hug.”
“He’s this very open, warm, creative person that can throw lightning bolts, which is not a King Triton pun,” she continued. “When his energy is on, it’s what you would expect from being in a room with Javier [in character]. You feel it. You don’t just see it or believe it; you actually viscerally feel it. So when you get to work with someone who can do that, it is always a thrill.”
Bardem, for his part, lamented only having one day of work on set with McCarthy, whom he said is “a joy and a gift” whodelivered “some pretty heavy linesand they made my spine [shiver].”
“I felt the energy,” he shared. “So I didn’t see her Ursula until that moment, but I knew then that she had created a unique and iconic Ursula in this movie. She’s brought everything that you can ask for and imagine.”
Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Last month, McCarthy chatted with PEOPLE for her Beautiful Issue cover story about her role in the film, joking that she “threw myself in front of [directorRob Marshall’s] car and begged him” to play Ursula, citing her love for and familiarity with the original movie.
“I didn’t really, butI did beg him to talk to me. That part’s true,” she said. “I’ve spent more time withLittle Mermaidthan probably any other movie, which I didn’t really think about until Rob’s like, ‘Did you see this a few times?’ I’m like, ‘Well, [now that] you ask me, I’ve seen it a weird amount of times. Which could have frightened him. Luckily it didn’t.”
TheBridesmaidsactress was especiallydrawn to the role of Ursulathe sea witch.
“I loved her so much. She’s such a broad, I just wanted to have a drink with her,” McCarthy says. “And yes, she’s the villain, but I was like, I think I get her. She’s been ostracized. Especially afterCOVID, I think we all get Ursula a little bit more. Spending all that time alone. I just thought she was funny. And I love that it was about this young woman who was just trying to figure out what she wanted.”
The Little Mermaidis now playing in theaters nationwide.
source: people.com
