Yahoo News Little Mermaid make-up artist responds to Ursula criticism
The Little Mermaid make-up artist Peter Swords King has hit back at negative criticism over Ursula's make-up made by leading drag queens.
The Disney live-action version of The Little Mermaid landed just days ago (May 26), and several drag queens have said that Melissa McCarthy's Ursula's make-up was too basic.
The warning shots were fired by drag artists such as RuPaul's Drag Race stars Art Simone, Kerri Colby and Denali after a time-lapse behind-the-scenes video was released online.
Among their comments it was referenced that up-and-coming queer artists should have been hired to do Ursula’s look.
Melissa McCarthy becomes... 🔮#Ursula🔮 pic.twitter.com/OEcX2ccytp
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) May 16, 2023
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In response to the negative feedback, King told Insider: "I find that very offensive.
"Why can't I do as good a job as a queer make-up artist?
"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."
The British hair and make-up designer King has worked in the industry for 42 years and on projects such as The Lord of the Rings, Enola Holmes 2 and Spider-Man: Far from Home.
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"I personally don't get it," he continued.
"Yes, I'm very old now, so that's fine, I get that too, but, you know, a make-up artist or make-up designer could design make-up, they don't have to have an attachment to the nature of what they're doing."
He mentioned speaking to McCarthy about the sea witch’s make-up and added: "We discussed everything. I mean, we both laughed about how much we love drag queens and drag make-up and stuff. But it wasn't based on any drag acts at all."
Related: How The Little Mermaid differs from the Disney animation
Some fans of the film have defended the look with one tweeting: "Live action Ursula looks like the Cartoon Ursula so the make-up artist did well."
A second echoed this and said: "She looks like the one in the cartoon."
Another added: "Melissa McCarthy's performance as Ursula was a fantastic and her make-up took nothing away from the performance."
The Little Mermaid live-action movie opens on May 26 in the UK and the US. The animated movie is streaming on Disney+.
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