Melissa McCarthy once mistaken for Amy Schumer by dry cleaner

Melissa McCarthy has recalled the time she was mistaken for Amy Schumer by her local dry cleaners during a prank staged by Ellen DeGeneres.

The actress reminisced about the hilarious error, which occurred when she had to go into the establishment and pretend to faint while wearing an earpiece connected to the U.S. TV host, during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing on Monday.

"What I heard right before 911 was like, 'Amy Schumer's gone down! Amy Schumer's on the ground!' And I was like, 'Hey!'" she laughed. "She called me Amy Schumer, which was, to me, my favourite part. What a compliment! But she called me Amy Schumer like four or five times."

Elsewhere in the interview, Melissa discussed her role in the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid movie. She's playing the villainous Ursula in Rob Marshall's film, and admitted the part is much more physical than she had expected.

"It's so fun. We're just in rehearsals, and it's been an absolute blast. Stepping into the world of Rob Marshall, it's like a fever dream," the 49-year-old said. "Like, I just went to London for a week, and I'm like, 'I don't get to go to dance camp for a week.' And all day, he's like, 'Do you want to slide down this 40-foot clamshell?' I'm like, 'Yes! Of course, I do. What are you, crazy?' It's just been wildly creative."