Original 'Little Mermaid' Star Jodi Benson on 'Huge Thrill' Making a Cameo in Live-Action Movie

“We thought, ‘It is just so perfect to have her in that, if it felt like it could be organic and not too stunt-y,” director Rob Marshall says

Matt Winkelmeyer/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

Warning: This story contains minor spoilers for The Little Mermaid.

When it comes to The Little Mermaid live-action movie, Jodi Benson is overjoyed to be part of that world again.

The original voice of Ariel spoke to Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Friday about her cameo in director Rob Marshall’s reimagining of the 1989 animated classic.

“It was just a huge thrill for me when Robbie reached out,” Benson told the outlet. “I’m like, ‘Of course, I’m gonna come! I don’t care what I’m doing. I just can’t wait to get around the set and watch all of you work. It was just pure joy for me.”

Marshall said of Benson appearing in the film, “We thought, ‘It is just so perfect to have her in that, if it felt like it could be organic and not too stunt-y.’”

That perfect moment arrives when Benson, 61, offers a now-human Ariel (played by Halle Bailey) a bowl of food as one of the marketplace vendors in the film.

Of course, Ariel cannot eat without a fork — or a dinglehopper, as Scuttle would call it. But when Benson’s character passes her the utensil, the little mermaid mistakenly uses it to style her hair.

“It’s literally like passing the torch,” Benson said of the callback to Ariel twirling a fork through her hair in the original film. However, in the 1989 animated musical, she does so at dinner in Prince Eric’s castle.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Marshall told EW that they recreated the moment at a marketplace because he ultimately felt like it would happen more naturally in that setting than what was originally written — and it provided the perfect opportunity for Benson to make her cameo.

Along with some new plot lines, the live-action remake also features new songs and minor lyrical changes to the original musical’s memorable tunes.

Benson told PEOPLE earlier this week that the tweaks made to reflect current society were worthwhile.

“When you look at our film, we started in the studio in 1986 and we were released in 1989. Times change, people change, cultures change,” said Benson. “What matters and what is important changes. And, as a studio, we need to make those adjustments, and we need to take into consideration what’s going on around us. We need to be aware.”

“I do feel all of the nuances and small, slight changes here and there are very important,” she continued. “It’s very important to address what’s going on right now in our world and to make it effective for our period of time, where we are right now in this generation.”

The actress added that it was “wonderful” to see how the new film goes more “in-depth” with characters and “expands” the story in ways that the limitations of animation more than 30 years ago didn’t allow.

And yet, Benson noted director Marshall still honors their original classic: “The way that they paid tribute to the integrity of our original film just comes shining through in such a beautiful way. … It really is just breathtaking.”

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The Little Mermaid is now playing in theaters.

Read the original article on People.