As the female lead in 'Mike and Molly' (and an Emmy nomination now under her belt) you would have thought that Melissa McCarthy had her moment.
Not so fast.
In this year's side-splitting comedy, 'Bridesmaids,' McCarthy earned a bigger nod than 'talented,' she was revolting, exceptional, unforgettable. Her character of Megan allowed 'Bridesmaids' to exceed all expectations and help put to rest this long standing Can A Woman Really Be Funny? debate. And it seems now, we can't get enough of her.
She gave us taste in her 'training video'--barely enough to get by--but it looks like it won't be long until we see her again.
Since its stunning debut, there have been talks of a 'Bridesmaids' sequel and that may come to be, but for now, we have another comedy feast on our hands: the unlikely and sure-to-be-hysterical romantic tango of McCarthy and Jon Hamm.
In GQ's profile on the actress, they had their work cut out for them--to really capture her, from tough to feminine, they had to go beyond. In this 'Oral History,' GQ sat down with McCarthy, her 'Bridesmaids' co-stars and the film's director, Paul Feig, to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the movie and a real taste of her remarkable talent.
For McCarthy, she took to the role of Megan immediately--envisioning her sexually-ambiguous clothing and her decidedly bizarre personality. "For the audition, I wore no makeup and a bad pant," she said. "Once I look like the character, it really locks me in, even if people sometimes say, 'We need you not to be repulsive.''
Ben Falcone, the character who plays 'Air Marshal John'--who is her real-life husband--knows her commitment to humor goes beyond appearances. "Melissa will do anything to get a laugh. It's pathological," he said. Falcone goes on to relay an anecdote from her improv days with Groundlings where McCarthy tried to pop a balloon--but she couldn't. She did not give up, however.
"She finally head-butts the freaking thing, and it pops, and she smashes her face into the stage and breaks her nose. To this day she's like, 'Well, the audience liked it.'"
To read more, click over to GQ.