![]() It’s time for us to get good representation.”īut some, like Minj, who was able to circumvent societal norms to see the beauty in Ursula as a child, see these so-called “villains” differently, especially with the sea witch's expanded backstory in the remake. I think bad representation is bad representation, and it needs to be changed. ![]() “Some people say bad representation is at least representation. “(Queer people) either get no representation or bad representation,” Eldridge tells TODAY. The complexity grows when acknowledging the breadth and history of LGBTQ+ talent behind these characters, including legendary Disney animator Andreas Deja, lyricist Howard Ashman, and even Hans Christian Andersen himself, who scholars like Eldridge believe had relationships with other men during his life. Many believe their queer-coded mannerisms were meant to separate the villains from the “good” characters, and makes them seem strange or unconventional. Scar in “Lion King”, Jafar in “Aladdin”, and Ursula are all considered “queer coded,” who have characteristics that reflect queer stereotypes. “Throughout all of Disney, queer characters have existed but started as villains,” Eldrige says. While “Strange World” (2022) is the first Disney movie with an openly queer lead character, many fans and scholars believe that queer characters have been there all along - but haven’t been labeled as such. But boy, it’s so fun to think about.” ‘No representation or bad representation’: Queer villains in Disney moviesĮldridge says “The Little Mermaid” remake comes at a time when Disney is “trying to be more inclusive” in terms of representation. “It was like, I’ll believe it when it happens, but I don’t think it’ll happen. “I don’t know if I ever took (the calls to cast a drag queen) seriously,” West says. “In the back of my mind, I felt like, no matter how well I do, no matter how much I want it, or if they want me to have it, for some reason, it’s not going to happen.” And while she was still “very sad” to not get the part, she says it wasn’t about just her, but about “what a great big opportunity that would have been for our entire community.” Minj says she went into the audition process not expecting too much. It was kind of like, you made a great impression with us and we wish we could have gone that direction, but we couldn’t." “When I went back to Disney and did a different project for them that hasn’t been announced yet, I was told by several of the higher-ups there that this was created for me as an apology for Ursula. While the role ended up going to Melissa McCarthy, Minj’s audition, which, she tells TODAY, is described in more detail in her upcoming book “Southern Fried Sass,” did not end up not being fruitless. “I didn’t think I did have an opportunity, until I actually ended up in the conversation in the room for it.” Minj tells TODAY that she auditioned with Disney for the role of Ursula. When the live-action remake was first announced in 2016, calls for a drag queen Ursula arose and fans cast Ginger Minj into the running, citing videos of her performing Ursula’s marquee number “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Major publications like Billboard got on board, running headlines like “Why Disney Should Cast Ginger Minj As Ursula In the Live-Action ‘Little Mermaid’ Remake.” “I realized, oh my gosh, that’s Ursula! This is the real life embodiment of Ursula.” Could a drag queen play Ursula in 2023? For a moment, maybe “When I discovered ‘Pink Flamingos’, I was watching it going, that person looks so familiar to me,” Minj says. With Divine’s plus-sized, curvaceous figure, signature hyper-arched brows painted almost into his wig, and a joyful proclivity for the crude and obscene, it’s not hard to see the through-line from this drag superstar to the under-the-sea provocateur. “He just wanted to tell stories that helped push the needle.” Divine performing in 1983. “He was this larger-than-life character, who was nothing but heart and joy and an extreme expression of love,” drag queen Nina West, who both played Divine in the 2022 film “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and is completing a national tour as Edna Turnblad in the musical “Hairspray”, which starred Divine in the same role, tells.
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