In Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid, Ariel is known for her powerful voice, and Halle Bailey, who’s bringing the red-haired mermaid to life in the long-anticipated live-action remake, is living up to her reputation.
On June 9, Melissa McCarthy, who plays Ursula in the film, stopped by Bravo’s ’Watch What Happens Live’ and took the chance to chat about what we can expect from the upcoming movie — including some tears. When asked to spill the beans about the project, Melissa quipped that she would be “killed for anything I say” before revealing Halle’s voice brought her and several other costars to tears while on set.
Melissa recounted that when she first heard Halle’s take on one of Ariel’s songs, her reaction was just “overwhelming” because it came from a “different” place. “That girl has got roots down and she sings from her heart,” the actor elaborated. “When I heard [her singing the song], there were like seven of us that just burst out crying.”
Melissa went on to praise Halle as “a remarkable young woman,” sharing that she was affable both on and off the set. She also joked about Halle’s reaction to seeing her cry, saying, “I realized… Now she’s just thinking there’s a really old woman in front of me crying and this is weird. I couldn’t keep it together.”
However, Halle’s actual reaction couldn’t have been more different. Retweeting Watch What Happens Live’s clip, Halle responded to Melissa’s comments with a simple “this was so kind miss you.”
If you are wondering what song exactly Melissa is referring to, so are we. While the actor did not explicitly name a tune while narrating the anecdote, we know the movie will feature the beloved songs from the original movie plus some all-new ones. “We wrote three or four original tunes, replacing none of the ones you like. All of those are in,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s working on the film’s score alongside Alan Menken, revealed on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast back in February.
Of course, Melissa isn’t the only one gushing about Halle’s voice. Back in 2021, Javier Bardem, who’s playing Halle’s on-screen dad King Triton, also described Halle’s voice as “out of this world” and “amazing” while briefly chatting to Variety about the film.
The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is expected to premiere in 2023, so not that long to go until we can marvel at Halle’s voice firsthand!