Film

Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula makeup routine revealed and everyone is making the same point

Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula makeup for the Little Mermaid has caused outrage (@DisneyStudios/ Twitter)

A clip from behind-the-scenes of The Little Mermaid showing Melissa McCarthy’s makeup routine as Ursula the sea witch has sparked homosexual outrage.

When it was announced that McCarthy was set to star alongside Halle Bailey as the drag-queen-inspired villainous Ursula in Disney’s latest live-action venture, the reception was mixed. Some fans were less than thrilled, but more warmed to the idea after a few sneak peeks and dastardly cackles cropped up throughout the marketing campaign.

A lot of the dissent was based on the belief that the treacherous, tentacled witch should have been played by a drag queen – as the character is widely known to have been inspired by legendary drag artist Divine, best known for their appearances in Jon Waters films.

And now, in a new behind-the-scenes clip from Disney’s Twitter, more ammunition has been handed to the McCarthy naysayers in the form of a lifted lace wig, garage-door eyeshadow and eyebrows so out of place that Britney impersonator Derrick Barry could have done better.

There’s a famous phrase that goes something along the lines of: Eyebrows are sisters, not twins.

These eyebrows are not twins. They are not sisters. They are not first, second or third cousins, once or twice removed. They are co-workers that do not like each other, and see each other once a month at forced office socials – and Twitter thinks so, too.

You may like to watch

A lot of the comments have referred to Ursula’s drag origins, and claim the makeup is an insult to the various queens who fan-casts had in mind for the character.

“Now when we said Ursula was inspired by a drag queen, we didn’t mean one who had only been doing it for three months,” wrote New-York-based performer Sierra La Puerta.

The McCarthy makeup has also prompted specific references to Divine, with one fan deeming the effort “not Divine enough“.

Another echoed that sentiment, saying: “Doing a character inspired by Divine and not having it look remotely similar to Divine is criminal.”

A much-suggested solution to the complaints was that a drag artist should have been hired to do the makeup, if Disney was not going to actually cast a drag queen.

Others have pointed out that Melissa McCarthy, who has previously spoken about her drag past and her Ursula performance being “inspired” by queens, is not to blame – the problem lies, they say, with the makeup artist.

The Little Mermaid opens on 26 May.

Register to save articles and more. It'll only take a minute and it's free.
JOIN US TODAY!