‘The Little Mermaid’: Why Melissa McCarthy Felt Empathy for Ursula (Exclusive)

Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem are no strangers to taking on big roles, but their latest on-screen adventure cements them in Disney history. In “The Little Mermaid,” the actors bring Ursula and King Triton to life in the new, highly anticipated live-action version of the 1989 animated classic.

“Extra’s” Rachel Lindsay recently caught up with Melissa and Javier, who shared what it was like to play the iconic characters and tell the story that is beloved by generations.

“I was so overwhelmed with the emotion and the humor,” Melissa said. “This is a relevant story. It’s an homage to the original, but really, it's a relevant story to today. It is two young people that are carving out and fighting to choose the life they want to live instead of being assigned one, and if that's not a world we're in right now, I don't know what is. And to have a parent just be terrified, ‘What happens if my child goes out and lives a way that wasn't in the plan?’ I mean, it's terrifying, and to watch how people respond to fear and fear begets anger and, unfortunately, that's incredibly relevant and it's all wrapped up in this beautiful world with humor and humanity. I'm just thrilled to be a little part of it.”

Javier noted he had the original film in mind when playing King Triton, while also adding a more personal touch it.

“I tried to really respect the classic and bring a little bit more of a heart into it. Meaning, bring more the flawed human being that this man is in order to not be able to love unconditionally his daughter until the end, when he learns what love is,” Javier said of portraying Ariel’s strict dad.

The new live-action film puts a new twist on Ursula and King Triton’s relationship by making them related.

“I thought it was kind of brilliant,” Melissa told “Extra.” “It made it not just, like, ‘Oh, I'm the villain of the neighborhood.’ I was like, ‘You sent your sister away from the family to be isolated,’ and I just thought, ‘Boy, does that does add quite a bit to it.’ I thought that was really a smart move that they came up with.”

Javier shared his co-star’s sentiments on how Disney’s new take on their characters brought more depth to the storylines.

“It creates a real deep reason for her [Ursula] to go against Ariel, you know, to really hurt me, as the sister has been neglected.”

While Ursula has always been known as one of Disney’s most villainous characters, Melissa revealed how she ended up feeling unexpected empathy for her.

“I really had to think about her. I broke it down like I would any character — comedy drama, whatever. I always have a bit of an obsession with people's armors. Because we all do it. What do you put on the outside to kind of protect the more vulnerable parts of you? And I thought Ursula certainly does it through her look and her kind of swagger and just how she does things, but what's on that inside is she's damaged. She’s been isolated. She's not mentally healthy all the time. I think she's been rejected by her family. And I just suddenly kind of fell in love with her and I felt such compassion and empathy for her that I didn't expect,” Melissa explained.

The “Bridesmaids” actress went on, “I knew it was going to be fun, and then all of a sudden, I had a whole new kind of understanding of who she was to me. I always think that's like a real treat. I think it's the closest we get to walking in someone else's shoes, when you kind of have to think, like, that abrasive person also has a heartbeat in there somewhere. So, if it makes me be one click more compassionate, I am grateful.”

Melissa said she was also grateful for being able to see this movie in theaters with an audience, which she said is a powerful connection she missed.

“To sit with that many people, it has been a long time since I’ve seen a movie in a theater like that, and I don't think I realized how much I needed that. We kind of got away from it… Now more than ever, I think we need to sit shoulder to shoulder with strangers and feel the same things.”