The actress fires back at criticism over her weight and appearance.
Melissa McCarthy is undeniably hilarious, but unfortunately, much of the criticism of her recent films has been not about their content, but about the actress and comedian’s physical appearance. However, the Spy star told Entertainment Weekly that she recently had an opportunity to respond to one such critic -- and did so in a powerful way.
"It’s an intense sickness," McCarthy says of sexism in Hollywood. "For someone who has two daughters, I’m wildly aware of how deep that rabbit hole goes. But I just don’t want to start listening to that stuff. I’m trying to take away the double standard of 'You’re an unattractive bitch because your character was not skipping along in high heels.'"
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McCarthy was at the Toronto Film Festival promoting her movie St. Vincent last fall, when she was approached by a reporter who had criticized her performance and appearance in her movie Tammy, which McCarthy co-wrote and her husband Ben Falcone directed.
"Are you the one who wrote I was only a good actor when I looked more attractive and that my husband should never be allowed to direct me because he allowed me to look so homely?" she asked him.
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"Would you say that to any guy?" she asked, when the reporter admitted that he was the critic in question. "When John C. Reilly—or any actor—is playing a character that is depressed and dejected, would you say, 'Well, you look terrible!'?"
Then she asked the critic if he had a daughter. He did.
"Watch what you say to her," she warned. "Do you tell her she’s only worthwhile or valid when she’s pretty?"
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