"I hope it’s one of many ways that I show my girls that it’s okay to like who you are," said the actress.
Melissa McCarthy is an American actress belonging to Illinois, who started her career in entertainment as a stand-up comedian. Later on, she gained notoriety for her role as Sookie St. James in the show Gilmore Girls. Eventually, she went on to star in major blockbuster movies such as Bridesmaids, The Heat, Ghostbusters and Tammy.
Her characters usually portray a specific kind of confidence which is also important to the actress. Being a woman in Hollywood involves being under scrutiny for everything, including one's weight. But McCarthy does not let the fat shamers and nasty critics get to her. She holds her head high for herself and her "fantastic" daughters.
It can be a tough task to get into movies due to the rules that Hollywood has unofficially adopted. First, audiences do not appreciate female comedy leads. Second, a woman can't be the star of a film if she's over 35 years of age, third, women in movies can't be over a size six. As per The Guardian, when the actress heard these rules, she just said, "why not?"
When asked about her the roles she plays onscreen, McCarthy said, “People say to me, ‘These characters are crazy’, and I’m like, ‘Are they?’ Because I’ve seen three people in Rite Aid drug store act like that. I think when a female character acts more defiant, it’s seen as a little more crazy."
She credited her father, Michael McCarthy, for always encouraging her, as she told The Guardian, “My dad’s attitude made me always like, ‘Why not you?’ What’s better to give somebody than a sturdy work ethic and reasonable confidence? I hope to pass that on to my kids. Not that they’re perfect in every way, but they’ve got a shot at it, right?”
The negative comments against McCarthy tend to fat-shame her. As per TODAY, film critic Rex Reed gave a scathing review of Identify Thief, where he focused on her appearance more than her actual work as an actress. He also called her a "gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese."
Despite the harsh comments, McCarthy wants to teach her daughters that one can be friendly and easy to work with without being tormented by nasty comments. She would want her daughters to "just say thank you and walk off" with grace.
She also wants her daughters to learn to take compliments. As per TODAY, she has told them, "Don’t negate it. Don’t tell them they’re crazy. Just say 'Thank you. I love it too. That’s why I put it on'. It’s a little building block, but I hope it’s one of many ways that I show my girls that it’s okay to like who you are."
Melissa and Ben Falcone's daughters, Vivian and Georgette are 15 and 12 years old respectively. These conversations are important at such an age.
As per Closer Weekly, the actress gushed about her daughters' confidence and said, “I think they’re better [than me]. They’re further along in their young lives than I was. I feel like I had to push almost 30 to get their kind of confidence, so I love seeing that.”
But she is also teaching them to "work really hard, and then you’ve got as good of a chance as anybody else," as per ET Online.
As an actress, Melissa McCarthy has learned to work hard, give her best and not pay heed to haters and as a mother, she is teaching her daughters to do the same in their lives.
References:
https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/melissa-mccarthys-kids-meet-her-and-husband-ben-falcones-family/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Matt Winkelmeyer
