'Little Mermaid' Makeup Artist Addresses Complaints About Melissa McCarthy's Ursula Makeup, If It Paid Homage to Drag Queen Divine

Melissa McCarthy‘s makeup artist for The Little Mermaid is responding to critiques of her appearance in the movie.

The 52-year-old actress brings Ursula to life in the live-action movie. The character in the original animated movie drew inspiration from the drag queen Divine.

When the first photos of Melissa in costume with her full face of makeup emerged, some fans were upset by the appearance and complained that it was a poor tribute to the iconic queen.

Now Melissa‘s MUA Peter King Smith is responding to all of his critics.

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Peter told Insider that he did not appreciate the hate he was getting.

“I find that very offensive,” he told the outlet. “Why can’t I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?”

He added that he and Melissa worked in tandem to develop the look but did not pull direct inspiration from Divine.

“No, no. It was me. I didn’t really draw on anything. I played around quite a lot with different colors, different shapes, and stuff,” he explained. “It just was sort of Melissa and I talking and creating. So I didn’t really draw on anything at all.”

“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,” Peter added.

While the makeup for Ursula might not have been influenced by a specific drag queen for the new movie, Melissa recently opened up about the inner drag queen that influenced her portrayal of Ursula.

Speaking of The Little Mermaid‘s glam, you won’t believe how much it cost to do Halle Bailey‘s hair for her role as Ariel.