Makeup artist Peter Smith King, left, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.Photo:Valerie Macon/Getty ; Walt Disney Studios/YouTube
Valerie Macon/Getty ; Walt Disney Studios/YouTube
Back in May, when a behind-the-scenes look atMelissa McCarthy’stransformation into Ursulafor the live-actionThe Little Mermaidfilm was shared to Twitter, social media users, specifically those from the drag and LGBTQ+ communities, spoke out against the hiring of the makeup artist in charge,Peter Smith King.
Now with the film in theaters, King isresponding to the backlash.
“Why can’t I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?” he said in his chat with the outlet. “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."
King also posed the idea that a makeup artist doesn’t have to be attached to “the nature of what they’re doing.”
He noted that, contrary to the original movie, he did not base Ursula on Divine, whom he met before her death in 1988. Instead, he said, the final look was a culmination of conversations between himself and McCarthy, 52.
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“We discussed everything. I mean, we both laughed about how much we love drag queens and drag makeup and stuff. But it wasn’t based on any drag acts at all,” King shared.
For her part, McCarthy has spoken about drawing from drag for her performance of Ursula, tellingDeadlineat the film’s recent Los Angeles premiere, “I hope to do every incredible drag queen proud.”
The Little Mermaidhas made a huge splash in theaters nationwide. According to theHollywood Reporter, it has raked in anestimated $95.4 millionat box offices since its release on Friday.
source: people.com
