Melissa McCarthy Talks 'Bridesmaids' Audition

Melissa McCarthy strikes a pose in a bikini tee in this new shot for GQ.

Here’s what the 40-year-old Bridesmaids actress had to share:

On her character in Bridesmaids: “I read the script and had such a weird, fast reaction to Megan. I knew exactly what I wanted her to look like, to sound like, and I got an intense feeling of ‘I like her so much! This will never work out!’ For the audition, I wore no makeup and a bad pant. Once I look like the character, it really locks me in, even if people sometimes say, ‘We need you not to be repulsive.’”

Paul Feig, the film’s director, on Melissa: “We would always do an improv section during the auditions, and quickly we realized, ‘Holy s—, this woman is on fire….’ Melissa came in with this character that was just a force of nature. At first I was like, ‘Is she playing it as a lesbian?’ Then it got into all this weird sex stuff.”

Co-star Rose Byrne, on Melissa: “Melissa is nothing at all like Megan. That’s not hiring someone to do what they do; that’s a real performance. Melissa’s beautiful and feminine, but Megan’s tone—it’s almost like she’s a coach. There’s no doubt in her voice. For me a lot of the comedy comes from the tension between the wildness of her ideas and the way she would say them with such authority and confidence and speed.”

For more from Melissa, visit GQ.com!

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