Melissa McCarthy pretended to have “too many martinis” when getting into character as Ursula for The Little Mermaid.

The comedy star portrays the treacherous sea witch in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1989 animated film, which also features Halle Bailey as mermaid princess Ariel.

Reflecting on how she channelled the villainous Ursula during an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Melissa explained how she channelled elements of “humour, sadness, and edginess” into the role.

“She’s the villain, but there’s such an edge to her,” she explained. “She’s been put in this lair. It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone. Her friends are eels. That is a woman who has seen it, been in it, dug her way back out. All my references are terrible, but I kept thinking, ‘Many a Pall Mall (cigarette) has this woman had.'”

And while The Little Mermaid isn’t released in U.S. cinemas until May, lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda promised fans that Melissa truly delivers with her version of the song Poor Unfortunate Souls.

“Everyone’s seen the trailer, and now you know how good Halle’s gonna be, ’cause she sounds incredible. But no one’s ready for Melissa McCarthy,” he continued. “She brings all of the delicious camp from the original, but then also is just scary. If that’s your favourite song, you’re going to be happy.”

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