Melissa McCarthy Recalls Working On 'Volatile, Hostile' Set That Made Her 'Physically Ill' | "My Eyes Were Swelling Up"

Melissa McCarthy is talking about working on a "hostile" production that made her and many other people on set have traumatic experiences.

In a May 21 interview with The Observer, the actor, 52, shared startling information about one of her prior projects. McCarthy spoke about dealing with a challenging person on set. "I did work for someone once who ran such a volatile, hostile set that it made me physically ill," she shared. "My eyes were swelling up, I was absorbing all of this nuttiness."

She remembered witnessing others "weeping" as a result of being "visibly so upset by this one person," per TODAY. McCarthy emphasized that the creative employed deceptive methods to keep her from speaking up at first. "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," she explained. 

But at some point, she had had enough and made the decision to confront the shady superior. "Then one day, I was like, 'It stops today!'" she said. "I just kept saying to them, 'It stops, it stops.'" 

Her behavior on set is influenced by that incident, which is etched in her memory. "And I know now I'll never keep quiet again," she said.  

Together with her husband, actor, and comedian Ben Falcone, the The Little Mermaid actress founded their own production firm, On the Day Productions, which they make sure is free of troublemakers. Some of McCarthy's most well-known comedies, including Tammy, The Boss, and Life of the Party, were made by On the Day films.

She claimed the couple conduct a "crazy check" before hiring someone to work on an On the Day movie because they "demand" kindness from their productions. She discussed the value of establishing a pleasant environment on site.

"You know, we were so astounded and grateful at getting to build our own little worlds, we were like, 'We have to build the one we've always talked about, where everybody gets to have an opinion and everyone is really nice.'" She continued, "It's going to run a lot better with no screamers or crazy egos bumbling around. Why would we risk destroying that?"

The former Gilmore Girls star emphasized the value of being a kind person and denounced bigotry throughout the discussion. Since Halle Bailey was chosen to play Ariel in Disney's live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid, it has faced criticism with racial undertones.

During her interview with the Observer, McCarthy condemned people who hold disparaging opinions. "I hate any kind of injustice," she said. "And people attacking someone for just trying to be who they truly are. What does it matter to them? Do no harm, be kind — if everyone just followed those two rules, we'd be fine." 

References:

https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/melissa-mccarthy-hostile-set-physically-ill-rcna85644

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/21/melissa-mccarthy-we-have-never-needed-to-laugh-more

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Lia Toby