Melissa McCarthy Says She 'Begged' Director to Portray Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid' (Exclusive)

"I’m sliding down a 60-ft clamshell," says the star, who graces this year's cover of PEOPLE's Beautiful Issue

Melissa McCarthy first became of fan of Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid when she nannied for a family in New York in her early 20s. "The girls could watch a little bit of TV and pick a movie. And I swear there was a two-year jag where we watched Little Mermaid every night," the actress tells PEOPLE for this week's cover story. "Even if they did want a different one, I was like, 'Or we could just watch The Little Mermaid again.'"

So when she first heard director Rob Marshall (Chicago) was doing a live-action version of the classic film, "I threw myself in front of [his] car and begged him. I didn't really, but I did beg him to talk to me. That part's true," McCarthy says. "I've spent more time with Little Mermaid than probably any other movie, which I didn't really think about until Rob's like, 'Did you see this a few times?' I'm like, 'Well, [now that] you ask me, I've seen it a weird amount of times. Which could have frightened him. Luckily it didn't."

Related:Melissa McCarthy's Ursula Makes a Deal with The Little Mermaid in New Footage from Remake: Watch

The actress was especially drawn to the role of Ursula the sea witch. "I loved her so much. She's such a broad, I just wanted to have a drink with her," McCarthy says. "And yes, she's the villain, but I was like, I think I get her. She's been ostracized. Especially after Covid, I think we all get Ursula a little bit more. Spending all that time alone. I just thought she was funny. And I love that it was about this young woman who was just trying to figure out what she wanted."

For more of McCarthy's exclusive interview, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

Working with the cast and crew on the production "was one of the most enjoyable, crazy, 'What are we doing? How is this possible? How am I possibly doing this part?' [experiences]," says McCarthy. "I'm not a singer. I don't do this. I'm sliding down a 60-foot clamshell. I mean, this is everything I thought when I was 20 and you have unrealistic goals, like, 'I'll probably slide down a large clamshell.' But every version of myself was just freaking out because it was so fun."

McCarthy, who recently admitted to Good Morning America that she cried when the production wrapped, felt confident Marshall and his producing partner John DeLuca would make the new movie "something spectacular, and I knew that they would kind of redefine it," she says. "They're building this whole new world, guys. Oh boy, I did it. And I didn't even mean to! It's the world I want to be a part of. It's so diverse. It's so unexpected. Nothing is being like, 'Oh, we're teaching you something.' It's just wonderfully enjoyable. And I think it's going to be such a good time for everybody. I think it says a lot without ever having to say anything."

The Little Mermaid swims into theaters May 26.

Watch the full episode of The Beautiful Issue Cover Story: Melissa McCarthy below

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