Actress Melissa McCarthy heard Rob Marshall was putting the pieces together for a live-action take on Disney's The Little Mermaid; she vowed to do whatever she could to snag the role of Ursula, the sea witch. "I was so terrified, and there were moments when I felt like, aI have no business trying to meet with Rob Marshall, but if I don't do it, I will regret it for the rest of my life,'" McCarthy told hollywoodreporter.com. The Little Mermaid Premiere: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Awkwafina and Others Arrive in Style on the Blue Carpet; Original Voice of Ariel Jodi Benson Makes Appearance!

It went well: "We kind of hit it off. He's such a remarkable and lovely human." Living through a pandemic also helped her get inside Ursula's head. "Thinking about how much time she spent in isolation and what that had done to her mental state and paranoia, I was able to connect with her in new ways," she explained. "Ursula is so damaged and such a juicy, dishy, conniving broad. I've always been, like, That's the girl I want to have a drink with."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2023 08:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).