Melissa McCarthy
Hollywood’s Bankable Comedy Gem
By Kirsten Howard
Melissa McCarthy continues to be both a comedic and dramatic actress who is always worth watching.
Melissa McCarthy has been working solidly on TV and in the movies since the late ‘90s.
She got her big break in 2000 when she landed the role of anxious chef Sookie St. James in the hit comedy-drama series, Gilmore Girls.
After Gilmore Girls finally ended, she played Dena on Samantha Who? for a couple of years before a longer stretch in the sitcom world as Molly in Mike & Molly.
But in 2011, McCarthy had a smash hit movie on her hands as part of the ensemble cast of Bridesmaids.
The actress played Megan in Paul Feig’s improv-led comedy, a brash and blunt character who also turned out to be unexpectedly wise.
However, McCarthy soon became the face of numerous comedy movies, capitalizing on her Bridesmaids success.
Studios usually pair McCarthy’s wild antics with a “straight” man or woman.
She starred opposite Jason Bateman in Identity Thief, Sandra Bullock in The Heat, and Jason Statham and Jude Law in Spy.
Spy
McCarthy re-teamed with some of the Bridesmaids crew for 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot, where she flipped the script and played more of a straight role.
In the same year, she snagged the part of biographer Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me? after Julianne Moore dropped out.
Her terrific performance in the movie scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant attend the UK Premiere of "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
In Netflix’s Thunder Force, directed by her real life husband, Ben Falcone, McCarthy stars as a woman who is accidentally imbued with superhuman powers.
It’s sure to be another very watchable comedic outing from McCarthy!