Melissa McCarthy stopped by Watch What Happens Live this past Thursday. During the fan question portion of the show, a fan dialed in and asked McCarthy about Disney’s upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid.
The fan asked, “How’s Halle Bailey’s version of Ariel in The Little Mermaid and are there any new songs in this live-action version?”
McCarthy, who plays Ursula in The Little Mermaid, said of the first time she heard Bailey’s Little Mermaid songs on set, “I had a truly, really — not weird reaction, just overwhelming. It’s so beautiful and it’s just different. That girl has got roots down and she sings from her heart. When I heard it, there were like seven of us that just burst out crying because we had not heard it.”
McCarthy didn’t specify which songs she heard, however, she continued to praise Bailey and her musical stylings.
“She is a remarkable young woman in every moment, how she is on set, how she is as a person, and I burst out crying. And now I realize, now she’s thinking, ‘There’s a really old woman in front of me crying and this is weird.’ But I couldn’t get it together.”
Bailey saw the clip on Twitter, and responded to McCarthy’s praise saying, “this was so kind,” followed by a series of emojis. “miss you.”
this was so kind
miss you @melissamccarthy
https://t.co/aYCnwTu3SB
— Halle (@HalleBailey) June 10, 2022
The Little Mermaid premieres in theaters May 26, 2023.