Melissa McCarthy explains how Guy Fieri inspired ‘Bridesmaids’
Some of the greatest movie characters of all time are sometimes based on the strangest things. Just look at the iconic Terminator robot from James Cameron’s action movies, an anti-hero based on the director’s nightmare of a skeleton holding knives, or Patrick Bateman from the beloved American Psycho, which Christian Bale based on the cold kindness of Tom Cruise.
Yet, whilst a nightmare and even Tom Cruise is understandable, a comedy icon based on the American restaurateur, author and food lover Guy Fieri is a little more unusual. Better known for the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, a reality show that follows Fieri as he travels America, interviews and tries the greatest and strangest foods from various restaurants, the series gathered a loyal cult following.
One of the show’s biggest selling points was Fieri himself, a larger-than-life individual who sported striking spiky hair with frosted tips, a large goatee and sunglasses that were almost bigger than his face. Meanwhile, the clothes he wore were iconic in and of themselves, often donning a large silver chain and a flame-patterned shirt that only elevated his fun-loving persona.
So influential is his personality that he became the key source of inspiration for none other than Melissa McCarthy’s character Megan in the celebrated 2011 Oscar nominee Bridesmaids.
In an interview with Conan O’Brien, McCarthy admitted: “Really, when I first read it, the first person that I thought of was Guy Fieri from the Food Network. I wanted to do the shirt, the Kangol. Every scene, I would have my glasses on the back of my head.”
Sadly for the actor, the production team weren’t too keen for her to use Fieri as her base, adding: “I tried for a long time to convince them to let me wear short, white, spiky hair, and they were like, ‘You can’t actually be Guy Fieri.’ Cut it off at some point!”.
Popularly believed to be among the best comedies of the 21st century, Bridesmaids was directed by Paul Feig and stars McCarthy alongside the likes of Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Chris O’Dowd and Maya Rudolph. It all follows the story of a competitive battle between two friends vying to be the maid of honour at a forthcoming wedding, with things taking a turn for the absurd later in the film.
Take a look at a clip of McCarthy discussing her inspiration for the character in the clip below.
