“She sings from her heart.”
Details about the new live-action version of The Little Mermaid have remained hush-hush, so whenever any new information is released, it’s like music to my ears.
Melissa McCarthy — who’s set to play Ursula in the film — appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen with her husband and business partner, Ben Falcone, and gave fans an update.
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A fan asked, “Without giving too much away, how is Halle Bailey’s version of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, and are there any new songs in this live-action version?”
Before giving her full answer, Melissa jokingly reminded everyone that she’ll be “killed” for anything she says about the movie, then began by saying, “We were on set and they just started playing Halle’s version of the song.”
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When Melissa first heard it, she was around six other cast members, and she remembers they all — herself included — just “burst out crying.”
She explained, “I had a truly — not weird reaction — just overwhelming. It’s so beautiful. It’s just different. That girl has got roots down, and she sings from her heart.”
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Melissa added, “She’s a remarkable young woman,” referring to Halle’s character and work ethic. “In every moment…how she is on set, how she is as a person…”
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Melissa joked that from Halle’s point of view, it was probably “weird” to see this “old woman in front of [her] crying” while listening to the song, but Melissa admitted she just couldn’t “hold it together.”
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Well, it seems like the feeling is mutual, because after Halle watched the clip of Melissa giving her praise, the singer was brought to tears…emoji style.
Production on The Little Mermaid wrapped in July 2021, and Halle commemorated the end of filming with this amazing photo.
and just like that..that’s a wrap ️after auditioning for this film when i was 18 just about to turn 19 , to now finishing filming through a pandemic when i turned 21 ..we have finally made it…i feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory..
Oh, and if you’re wondering which Little Mermaid characters we can expect to see in the film, Melissa made sure to keep her answer vague: “All of your familiars are there. Maybe there’s a new friend? I can’t say. I don’t want a mouse to kill me [referring to Disney’s mascot, Mickey Mouse].”
NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Overall, she said working on the film has been “a dream.” I can’t wait! The live-action version of The Little Mermaid is set to hit theaters May 26, 2023.
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