The star of Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation dished on her co-star's 'amazing' transformation.
Halle Bailey thinks fans are in for a treat when it comes to The Little Mermaid's villainous Ursula. ET spoke with the actress on the red carpet of Saturday's Kids' Choice Awards, where she teased the dramatic transformation of Melissa McCarthy into the iconic sea witch.
"People are gonna be so amazed [by] her job [playing] Ursula," the singer shared. "First of all, she's a beautiful human being, so talented, and the way she just consumes Ursula is so beautiful. I'm just so proud of her and I can't wait for people to see it."
Last month, Bailey unveiled a new teaser for the upcoming live-action adaptation that offered fans their first glimpse of McCarthy's turn as the tentacled antagonist. The brief clip features the same refrain of "Part of Your World" that was released in the initial trailer from September but adds a snippet of Ursula laughing at the very end. Through the shadowy water, fans catch a glimpse of the villain's eyes.
Bailey told ET that McCarthy's natural warmth added a layer of nuance to her wickedness in the film. "She has this very kind of maternal trickiness to her when it comes to tricking Ariel in the film, so I got to be consumed in her world and falling into her spell," she explained. "It wasn't so much like mean, mean. It was like [Ariel] looking for a maternal figure."
Meanwhile, Bailey shared another sweet surprise with fans on her Instagram page. On Monday, the Chloe x Halle singer shared a video of her presenting the new Ariel doll fashioned in her image.
"I have something really exciting to reveal to you all," began Bailey before surprising fans with the news. "I am gonna cry. This is the new Little Mermaid doll. I am literally choking up because this means so much to me and to have one that looks like me, that's my favorite Disney character, is very surreal. And look -- she even has my mole. See!"
"I'm just stunned. I don't quite know what to do with it, but I'm going to steal this, take it home, and hide it forever," Bailey said as she hugged the doll.
Fans shared the star's joy in the comments, writing, "So excited & happy for you!!! My coins are ready to buy this doll and see the movie."
Another user was just as emotional as Bailey, writing, "no bc this has me tearing up you deserve it QUEEN."
The Little Mermaid is set to swim into theaters on May 26.
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