News : Lizzo Reflects on Her ‘Terrible’ Audition for ‘The Little Mermaid’ Remake: ‘I Was Down to Make Ursula a THOT’

“Everyone knows I auditioned for Ursula in The Little Mermaid, and I didn’t get it. But you know, I’m fine as hell. That has nothing to do with Ursula, but I was down to make Ursula a THOT, shaking a–,” explained the 33-year-old, who was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson.

The role was later given to actress Melissa McCarthy, who Lizzo was seated near during the taping of Adele’s One Night Only CBS special in November. The three-time Grammy winner detailed her interaction with the actress, who questioned her own casting as Ursala, even though Lizzo tried out.

“At the Adele show, I ran into Melissa McCarthy, because she [got cast as] Ursula. She was like, ‘Hi, I’m Melissa.’ And I was like, ‘Hi, I’m Melissa. And I also auditioned for Ursula.’ And she was like, ‘Well, why the hell did I get the part?,’ which is a classic Melissa McCarthy thing to say. And then I was like, ‘Girl, because my audition was terrible,'” the “Cuz I Love You” artist recalled to Variety.

Not all parts of Lizzo’s audition were as bad as she described to McCarthy, though. She coyly noted to the publication, “My audition wasn’t terrible. Sometimes I like to make jokes. My audition was good. You can ask Disney. I don’t want to talk too much about it. The singing was great. I’ll just say that.”

Lizzo’s on-screen endeavors, aside from her brief appearance in 2019’s Hustlers, continue with the forthcoming release of her Amazon Prime reality television series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. The show — which will follow Lizzo as she searches for the best dancers to join her on tour — is set to premiere on the streaming platform on March 25.