'The Little Mermaid' Makeup Artist Responds to Backlash - PEOPLE

Back in May, when a behind-the-scenes look at Melissa McCarthy’s transformation into Ursula for the live-action The Little Mermaid film was shared to Twitter, social media users, specifically those from the drag and LGBTQ+ communities, spoke out against the hiring of the makeup artist in charge, Peter Smith King.

That’s because the look of the under-the-sea villain in the original 1989 animation was inspired by the late drag icon Divine (whose real name was Harris Glenn Milstead), per animator Rob Minkoff. The fact that she was being brought to life in the 2023 film by a non-drag artist stirred some controversy.

RELATED: Melissa McCarthy Calls Playing Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid' a 'Fever Dream' (Exclusive)

Now with the film in theaters, King is responding to the backlash. 

In a new interview with Insider, the pro — who’s also worked on The Lord of the Rings and Mary Poppins — used words like “offensive” and "ridiculous” to describe the comments he’s received. 

"Why can't I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?" he said in his chat with the outlet. “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."

King also posed the idea that a makeup artist doesn’t have to be attached to “the nature of what they’re doing.” 

He noted that, contrary to the original movie, he did not base Ursula on Divine, whom he met before her death in 1988. Instead, he said, the final look was a culmination of conversations between himself and McCarthy, 52. 

RELATED: Everything to Know About Disney's Live-Action 'The Little Mermaid'

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"We discussed everything. 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," King shared.

For her part, McCarthy has spoken about drawing from drag for her performance of Ursula, telling Deadline at the film's recent Los Angeles premiere, "I hope to do every incredible drag queen proud."

RELATED: 'The Little Mermaid' First Reactions Praise Halle Bailey, Live-Action Film as an 'Epic Watch'

The Little Mermaid has made a huge splash in theaters nationwide. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it has raked in an estimated $95.4 million at box offices since its release on Friday. 

Directed by Rob Marshall, the 2023 iteration also stars Halle Bailey (Ariel) and Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric).

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'The Little Mermaid' Makeup Artist Responds to Backlash - PEOPLE
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