During a recent interview, Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem sat down to talk about their new film, "The Little Mermaid", and McCarthy revealed that she was nervous about working with Bardem.
"I was really nervous to meet him, but the nerves went away within two seconds. The second you meet Javier, he's like a walking warm hug." She added, "He's so sweet, and I always find it fascinating how people throw their energy so differently per their characters. Of course, I'm a fan like everybody else, but you don't know what you're going to come up against. And then I was like, 'Oh, of course. He's this very open, warm, creative person that can throw lightning bolts,' which is not a King Triton pun. When his energy is on, it's what you would expect from being in a room with Javier [in character]. You feel it. You don't just see it or believe it; you actually viscerally feel it. So when you get to work with someone who can do that, it is always a thrill."
Bardem was flattered, and joined in on the love fest, saying, "My turn! Working with Melissa is a joy and a gift. It's sad that we only had one day." He added, "But I had a moment where [Melissa] was delivering some pretty heavy lines and they made my spine [shiver]. I felt the energy. So I didn't see her Ursula until that moment, but I knew then that she had created a unique and iconic Ursula in this movie. She's brought everything that you can ask for and imagine. So I need an Ursula spinoff, and since our characters are siblings, I want to have one scene with her while having dinner."
Both actors said they were thrilled to do the film for an array of reasons, but the chance to do some family-friendly fare was just too good to pass up.
"Yeah, that was a good reason for me to say yes to this on top of many other reasons, but the fact that I could share this with my kids was an important one. They haven't seen it yet but they will, and that will be a baptism by fire for me. Let's see if I survive that," said Bardem, who is used to more adult-themed projects.
"The Little Mermaid" also stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, and Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle.
The film has grossed over $197 million worldwide at the box office.
