Asked about how sensitive she is to negative reviews, the 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' actress shares the story when she was body-shamed by a journalist in front of nearly 100 people.
- January 10, 2019
AceShowbiz - Melissa McCarthy was shocked after a reporter called her "grotesque" during an interview for a film.
The reporter aggressively quizzed the "Bridesmaids" star about her appearance and insulted Melissa by calling her "sloppy" in front of a room full of almost 100 people. The actress explains she initially didn't fully understand the reporter when he asked her why she was "so grotesque," but quickly realised he was referring to her appearance.
"Years ago I was at a press conference for either 'The Heat' or 'Tammy', and somebody from a very big organisation kept asking me, 'Why do you always feel the need to be so grotesque?' " she tells InStyle magazine. "It was a huge interview with maybe 100 people in the room, and he was sneering."
"I said, 'What are we talking about? I can't answer your question because I don't understand it.' He goes, 'You look sloppy, you're not wearing any makeup, your hair is not done, you're yelling at people.' "
The actress hit back at the reporter and asked him if he'd ever asked a man the same question, but she was unable to break through to him.
"I was like, 'OK, so have you ever asked this of a guy? I'm playing a character. You need to get out more if you don't think there are real women like that,' " she adds. "He goes, 'Oh, fine, I'm aggressive, call it whatever you want. If you don't want to answer the questions, you shouldn't come to the panel.' I was like, 'I really want to answer your questions. I'm sorry I didn't wear makeup in a part. I'm sorry I didn't look pleasant for you. But I also don't think you should be here writing about movies.' "
Melissa also reveals she was once called "tremendous" by a reporter who was referring to her weight.
"He kept asking, 'Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?' " she says. "He was like, 'Oh, your tremendous size, you can actually work?' I just remember all the blood drained out of me. I thought, 'With my tremendous size, I could tackle you so quickly...' "
