Melissa McCarthy is fed up with ‘shiny and bland’ women
NOTED for her comedy rather than dramatic roles, actor Melissa McCarthy is gaining Oscar buzz for her turn as the antithesis of the “perfectly dressed and coiffed” woman.
![Melissa McCarthy: “Maybe if I was reasonable, I would’ve thought the odds of someone from a corn and soybean farm [becoming] an actor in Hollywood were pretty slim.” (Pic: Raven & Snow)](https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/8e03d73db35baf718ae53886ad40f290?width=650)
NOTED for her comedy rather than dramatic roles, actor Melissa McCarthy is gaining Oscar buzz for her turn as the antithesis of the “perfectly dressed and coiffed” woman.
You’ve created a slew of memorable characters. Can you pick a favourite?
I can’t! I fall in love with all of them. I get to walk around in someone else’s shoes, which I hope makes me more empathetic. I have to spend weeks and weeks trying to think like somebody else.
It’s a nice bonus that you get to act outside of yourself and wonder, “Why is someone such a people pleaser? What is that about? Why do they do it?” instead of being irritated about it. I feel lucky for that takeaway.
You starred on the TV series Gilmore Girls, which is still so loved. What’s going on there?
I’ve talked to so many mums and daughters or fathers and daughters — whatever combination, they could watch it together. And you didn’t have the perfect story; it was a nice, messy show. Characters need to be real and flawed and quirky and eccentric and weird. Weird is good — it’s fun to watch.
Your husband Ben Falcone tends to act in or direct all of your films. How would you feel if you had to go it alone?
Oh, I’d be sad. It’s not as fun without him. If he was not my husband, I would certainly want to work with him, and it’s how we met. Sometimes you just have a shorthand and ease with someone that makes it so enjoyable. And obviously when the person’s really good at it you’re kind of like, “Well, what’s the downside?”
You’re raising two daughters during a turbulent time for women. How do you arm them for the future?
The best we can. It’s a daily struggle. They’re only eight and 11 — it is difficult to look children in the eyes when women are cast aside and made fun of and not believed. All I can do is try to build [them] up and let them know who and what they are is to be determined by their own actions, and not the reflection of other people.
Delightfully, I think my girls have a sense of justice and right and wrong. I don’t always see a lot of that with adults.
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In your new film Can You Ever Forgive Me? you play Lee Israel, a flawed, unconventional woman. What drew you to the role?
I think we’ve had quite enough years of the shiny, bland, perfectly dressed [and] coiffed woman. I don’t know how to play those. I don’t know any perfect women.
I am a tremendous people watcher, and the people that fascinate me are the ones who are so in their own shoes. They are the leads; they don’t care, they don’t need someone else to reflect back how they are supposed to feel about themselves. When someone truly marches to their own beat, they’re the most fascinating.
It’s not your first dramatic part, but you’re getting a lot of Oscar buzz for it. Does it bother you when people are surprised a comedian can play serious?
It’s a little confusing because it’s always acting; you’re always taking on a character. People like to categorise. I have done so much dramatic work onstage, and I’m very comfortable doing both. Sometimes it’s all funny and sometimes it’s heartbreaking. I like the ones that kind of fall in the middle.
At 48, you convey a comfort with your body. Has it been a process?
I’ve always been very comfortable with myself. I’m from a tiny town and for crazy reasons I thought, “Hey, maybe I could be an actor.”
Maybe if I was reasonable, I would’ve thought the odds of someone from a corn and soybean farm [becoming] an actor in Hollywood were pretty slim. But my parents always said, “If you work hard, why not you?” I have to like me — I’m the only one I’ve got.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is in cinemas from December 6.
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