'The Little Mermaid' Makeup Artist Reacts to Criticisms of Melissa McCarthy's Ursula Makeup

The Little Mermaid is out in theaters now and prior to it’s release, many have taken to social media to criticize a certain aspect – Melissa McCarthy‘s makeup for Ursula.

If you didn’t know, the original version of Ursula was inspired by the legendary late drag queen Divine, and since that is the source, many people have been disappointed with how Melissa‘s look ended up.

Following many online critiques, particularly on Twitter, the actress’ makeup artist on the film, Peter Swords King, is speaking out and reacting to the backlash.

Keep reading to see what he said…

“I find that very offensive,” he told Insider. “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.

Check out video of the transformation below!

If you missed it, see what Halle Bailey said about keeping her locs and dying her hair red.