The illusion of chaosKristen, Chris, Rose, Melissa and Paul invite us to the wedding... • Page 2 of 2
At the premieres: McCarthy, Feig,
Wiig and O'Dowd in Dublin (above);
Wiig, Byrne and McCarthy in
Los Angeles (below).
24.Jul.79 • Sydney
MELISSA McCARTHY
26.Aug.70 • Plainfield, Illinois
PAUL FEIG
17.Sep.62 • Royal Oak, Michigan
Melissa, where did your character's costume come from? Melissa: I don't know why, but the first time I read it, I just had that exact image of her - everything about her. When I showed up, I had those weird sandals and umpteen racks of clothing in different varieties, and I just kept begging for cropped Dockers, plaid shirts and strings of pearls. It was not a good idea visually, but it was right for her.
Did other wedding movies influence this film?
Kristen: No, I think that could put you in your head a little bit, so when you're writing you're trying to avoid this thing or asking, "Is this like that movie?" We didn't go out of our way to watch any movies. We wanted to keep it like this, what we wanted to write. It wasn't written in reaction to anything.
Paul: I think it works because most wedding movies are about the wedding and there's not a lot you can tell about a wedding, so then you have to amp up all the emotions of everybody around it. This is very much a story about a woman going through a terrible time in her life and getting this duty of maid of honour just throws it all off. The wedding brings together a bunch of characters who wouldn't normally be together and then just pushes them forward into the story.
Did you dream of having a big wedding when you were young?
Melissa: I didn't do the wedding thing. I grew up on a farm, so it was weird, running around looking for animals we didn't own. I wanted to marry them! No.
I didn’t do the wedding thing. I grew up on a farm.
Melissa: The only horrendous wedding I've been to was for a dear, lovely friend in Palm Springs, which is kind of the centre of the sun. And she had it in August.
Kristen: I was there, I was a bridesmaid!
Melissa: Oh my God, that's right! And it was about 115 degrees at 1 o'clock in the afternoon out in the desert, and people mid-ceremony were just cracking open bottles of water and pouring them over their heads. We were eyeing each other like, "I don't care if it works out." And we were supposed to be rooting for them. It was so hot. Kids were going down.
Kristen: I had an anxiety attack, because I was standing up there and it was just wet between my foot and my shoe, and I was going, "Don't pass out! Don't pass out!"
Paul: It was in direct sunlight?
Melissa: It was like high noon, and I thought, "Oh God, if I pass out, please don't let me wet my pants." Because I knew that I was going out.
Chris: That sounds like a prayer you make every morning! "Leave me unsoiled, Lord."
And what about that outrageous wedding shower?
Kristen: The shower was really fun for us to write. Because we thought we have to have this over-the-top shower, so what are we going to do? Swans walking by! And there's bunnies! And then we thought of puppies, because it's a really bad gift to give someone without asking them first. And now they have to go and take care of it, because now they have a dog.
Chris: It's the most irresponsible gift you can give.
Paul: You know that actually happened to [comedian] Larraine Newman. Somebody for her birthday gave her a puppy. And she was like, "Are you kidding?"
I can’t wait too play a bald monk in the next thing.
Kristen: I want to say, "Oh, it was fun!" But then I sound like a big perv. But it was really fun! I think we laughed through the whole thing. Paul made me laugh, the way he was shouting out things for him to do to me. We couldn't write everything out on paper, so it was really like, "Now what can he do?"
Paul: That was like choreographing the world's hardest fight scene. And that's how they faced it too: "OK, I'll take him over here, and then he'll throw me over here."
And Chris, you're now being described as a sex symbol?
Kristen: It's true! Believe me.
Chris: Ah, you know, obviously the character is a very sweet guy, and that's all great. The sex symbol thing is so fleeting and I can't wait too play a bald monk in the next thing. But if Jon Hamm had tried like 10 percent to get the girl, he would. That's what I have to remember.
So will there be a Bridesmaids 2?
Paul: There's been no official talk of it, but it would be a crime not to reassemble an amazing team like this. We could only do it if we could make it as good or better than the original. Because there's nothing worse than doing a sequel that lets everyone down. So we'll see.
CLARIDGES, LONDON • 10.JUN.11
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