The “volatile, hostile” set that made Melissa McCarthy physically ill: “It stops today”
Comedy is fun. That sounds like a silly thing to say, but it’s worth making clear. Funny movies are one of life’s great joys.
We’ve all got our favourites, the ones we wish we could have been there for to see their legendary jokes and gags play out in front of our very eyes. Alas, the joy that radiates through the screen isn’t always present on set. Just ask Melissa McCarthy.
Though she has done some serious acting in her time, McCarthy is best known for making us laugh. After first rising to prominence on the sitcom Mike & Molly, she became instant comedy royalty with her outrageous performance in the movie Bridesmaids. Ever since then, she has become one of the most recognisable comic actors in all of Hollywood. The stuff she’s made hasn’t always been great – here’s looking at you, Tammy – but the star and her bulging bank account probably couldn’t give a toss.
One thing McCarthy does give a toss about is uncomfortable working conditions on set. Speaking with The Guardian in 2023, she gave a particularly harrowing account about one of the worst experiences she’d ever had making a film.
“I did work for someone once who ran such a volatile, hostile set that it made me physically ill,” she said. “There were people weeping, visibly so upset by this one person. And I think that’s why the manipulation worked, because to get to me, this person would fire people I loved, which kept me quiet. It was very effective. Then one day, I was like, ‘It stops today!’ I just kept saying to them, it stops, it stops. And I know now I’ll never keep quiet again.”
The Oscar-nominated star didn’t name the project she was talking about or any of the people involved, because she’s not an idiot. This incident would have had to have taken place prior to 2023, but may have been much earlier.
In 2013, McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone formed their own production company. In the same article, she made it very clear that her and Falcone do not abide any sort of bullying on their sets. It sounds as if her experiences on this mystery set inspired her and Falcone to go into business for themselves, but that is purely speculation.
Speaking of speculation, Dustin Rowles from Pajiba thinks he’s figured this puzzle out. She theorises that McCarthy is actually talking about Mike & Molly. The time frame adds up and, crucially, showrunner Mike Roberts left the show in 2013. He’s barely worked in the industry since. Once again, we have to stress that this is purely one person’s opinion. It’s also worth pointing out that Roberts defended his cast when a Marie Claire blog post made fun of their weight. That behaviour doesn’t match up with the rest of McCarthy’s testimony.
The chances are that we’ll never know who McCarthy is talking about. Ultimately, as interesting as that would be, it doesn’t matter. It’s important to bear in mind how tough movie sets can be and how a little kindness goes a long way.
