“You idiot, you idiot”: The moment Melissa McCarthy thought she’d ruined her big break
Melissa McCarthy’s breakthrough role was one she was convinced that she’d never get.
The R-rated comedy renaissance truly began in the early 21st century thanks to the efforts of Judd Apatow, who wrote and produced films that launched many of the biggest comedy stars of today. His brilliance lies in his ability to identify people who have potential and to give them a shot, creating star vehicles for actors like Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Paul Rudd, and although Apatow has had many films that were breakout successes, there haven’t been any carrying the same seismic cultural impact as Bridesmaids.
Kristen Wiig wrote a brilliant screenplay, which was a major reason for the film’s success (even earning an Academy Award nomination), combining honest insights about the wedding process with some of the filthiest, hilariously raunchy comedy that had ever been seen in a female-led film, but Bridesmaids reached a new stratosphere of popularity because of its cast.
The ensemble consisted Wiig at arguably her career funniest, Maya Rudolph taking advantage of her fame and skit skills from Saturday Night Live, FX’s Damages‘ Rose Byrne was plucked for a much goofier role that she excelled in, and Ellie Kemper proved to be a real scene-stealer, but it was Melissa McCarthy, for her role as Rudolf’s screwball sister-in-law, who managed to get more laughs than all of her co-stars combined, even managing to earn an Academy shout out.
While she had some credits as a New York standup comedian and as part of the Grondlings improv troop, she had never embarked on a shoot as ambitious as the one for Bridesmaids, and since she recognised how special the film would end up being, she was absolutely fearless when reading for the role with director Paul Feig. Although she had tried to make bold decisions in her audition that would impress the filmmaker, McCarthy feared that she had missed the mark by going overboard.
“The whole ride home, I was like, ‘God, you get one shot, and you go in, and you act weird’,” McCarthy said, “I was like, ‘You idiot, you idiot’”.
Thankfully, Feig seemed to understand that McCarthy was the only person who could play the role and decided to cast her. Beyond being the right pick for the part, her experience proved that she could play off of her co-stars, as much of the best comedy in Bridesmaids comes from the improv from the different actors, who developed genuine friendships on set that only ended up making the film more successful.
McCarthy’s audition didn’t just land her the part in the film for which she received a surprising Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actress’, but it also kicked off a working relationship with Feig. The two reunited for the action-comedy The Heat, which co-starred Sandra Bullock, and again for the hilarious espionage satire Spy, the latter notable because it positioned McCarthy as a legitimate action star and not just the butt of a joke.
While 2016’s Ghostbusters was disastrous for both McCarthy and Feig, it shouldn’t have been the end of their relationship, and given that Feig has missed the mark with his non-comedy films like The Housemaid and Last Christmas, he would do himself a favour to revive his working relationship with McCarthy.
