Spy’s Melissa McCarthy is back on top form

SINGAPORE - Melissa McCarthy is undoubtedly one of the funniest women in Hollywood. And she is back in uproarious top form with the action comedy Spy. In her third collaboration with director Paul Feig (the others being the side-splitting Bridesmaids and The Heat), McCarthy plays Susan, a desk-bound CIA analyst-turned-unlikely spy. McCarthy’s comedy brilliance is on full show, reminding us exactly why we fell in laugh with the Emmy-winning Queen of Pratfalls in the first place.

But the movie is more than just a spy spoof. “The film shows that even if you’re an outsider, you can still have really good friends,” said McCarthy.

What McCarthy also liked was the film’s strong female element. “I think a real strength women have is the ability to communicate and really open up to each other,” said the Oscar-nominated actress. “Men do too, but not as much. I’ve been lucky to work with women that I happen to absolutely love. On Bridesmaids, most of us had been good friends for years and I think it showed on the screen.

“It was the same thing when I worked with Sandy (Sandra Bullock) on The Heat. I literally said: ‘You’re one of the greatest girls I’ve ever met in my life.’ When this streak ends for me I’m going to be so sad.”

The 44-year-old mother of two, who was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was one of the breakout stars of Bridesmaids, which had an impact on Hollywood’s attitude towards funny women. “I got to be part of a movie that really shook up and broke into a million pieces the idea that women aren’t as funny as men, which is just an insane concept. I just don’t buy that any person doesn’t know some funny women. Not buying it!”

She added: “When my daughters eventually see (Spy), I want them to see how heroes don’t have to only be men. This is uncharted territory. A lead female spy who saves the day? What’s not to love?”

Q: Jason Statham, Jude Law and Rose Bryne were hilarious! What was it like on set with them?

A: I knew Jason was funny from Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and he is really, really funny in this film. I ‘broke’ a lot with him, I cracked up laughing and I rarely do that! It’s such a great twist to have two men play it a bit more silly and let Susan’s character rise to the top. By the end she realises she doesn’t need or want their approval and attention anymore, which is pretty great. Jason and Jude’s characters are fantastic! So glamorous and tough, but let’s be honest, they’re the bimbos of the film, and I just love it! As for Rose is truly one of the funniest people I know and she’s a great gal. We go way back to Bridesmaids and getting to work with her again was amazing. I would be delighted if someone said: “You have to do one movie every year with Rose,” I’d be like: “Great, let’s do that”.

Q: Do you remember what was it like receiving your Oscar nomination for Bridesmaids?

A: Well, you truly could have knocked me over with a feather when that happened. It was beyond any kind of honor that I thought I would ever get. It was pretty remarkable. Also I was excited not just because it was me, but because it was for a comedy. My five year old was a baby at the time, so I was up at the crack of dawn checking on her when the announcements were coming out. They announced Octavia’s (Spencer) name (for her role in The Help). She has been a friend of mine for eons and I burst out crying. I said, “Oh my God Octavia just got nominated for an Oscar and it didn’t sink in that I had been nominated too. Ben (Falcone, her husband) said, “You’ve just been nominated for an Oscar, you heard that, right?” And I went, “What!” Somehow it didn’t seem real. It was an amazing moment in my life.

Q: Which comedians do you like at the moment?

A: There are so many. Louis CK makes me slightly nuts with laughter. I was pregnant watching one of his stand-up shows and I had to turn the TV off because I was laughing so hard I thought I might hurt the baby. I was starting to black out and I thought: “The baby’s not getting air, Louis CK is harming my baby. I’m going to knock myself out and I’m going to fall over (laughs).” You know how you’re overly nervous when you are pregnant, especially the first time?

Q: Who makes you laugh?

A: My husband makes me laugh hard probably four times a day. I swear to God, he’s prolonging my life by decades, because he is wildly funny. My kids are really funny. Actually we do not have a very serious household. It’s not like a stand-up club at our house but it’s pretty silly. My parents are funny and we’ve got a lot of funny friends. I think life’s too short to be too serious all the time. Why not laugh? Bad stuff and intense stuff will happen. But I think when we are not in the midst of that, we should all try to have a good time.