It seems The Little Mermaid is all at sea once again after the film’s make-up has been heavily criticised.
The live-action remake was slammed after a timelapse of Ursula’s look was shared by Disney, with many drag queens throwing shade at the video.
The short clip was uploaded to Twitter last week, with a number of drag performers arguing that Melissa McCarthy’s makeup should have been done by an LGBT+ artist.
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For those not in the know, her character, Ursula, was heavily inspired by the iconic drag queen, Divine – according to the 1989 film’s composer, Alan Menken.
In fact, her trademark thick eyeshadow and thin eyebrows are virtually identical to that of the late performer’s.
As the short video began to circulate online, many stars of Ru Paul’s Drag Race reacted angrily in the comments.
“When you lie on your resume and end up with the job,” wrote Art Simone pointedly.
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Another Drag Race alum, Denali, added: “[This is] absolutely why we should hire up-and-coming queer artists with a pulse on the present and a vision for the future more often.”
While the debate continues online, The Little Mermaid’s make-up artist has responded.
During an interview with Insider, Peter King called the backlash ‘very offensive’ as he discussed Twitter’s intense reaction.
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“Why can’t I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?” he argued. “That’s ridiculous. That’s trying to claim it and that’s fine, if that’s what they wanna do, but don’t put people down because they’re not what they want it to be.”
He then admitted to the publication that he couldn’t understand why there had been such a huge backlash.
“I personally don’t get it. Yes, I’m very old now, so that’s fine. I get that too, but you know, a makeup artist or makeup designer could design makeup.
“They don’t have to have an attachment to the nature of what they’re doing.”
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Meanwhile, McCarthy who plays Ursula in the upcoming remake has spoken about how drag influenced her performance.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Spy actor said: “I’m a huge, huge fan of drag shows and the whole art of it and the entertainment of it.”
She also joked that she had a drag queen inside her, saying: “I’ve been going to shows since I was not supposed to be going to shows. There’s a drag queen that lives in me. I’m always right on the verge of going full time with her.”
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The Little Mermaid is out in cinemas now.
Topics: Disney, Film and TV, LGBTQ, Twitter
Katherine Sidnell