Melissa McCarthy wants you to know that she’s the biggest fan of inclusivity: ‘We crave it’
Melissa McCarthy says inclusivity is not just wonderful, but needed. (Getty)
The Little Mermaid star Melissa McCarthy has shared a powerful message of inclusivity after being chosen as the face of People magazine’s 2023 Beautiful Issue.
Melissa McCarthy is definitely the name on everyone’s lips right now.
When she’s not channelling her inner drag queen for her upcoming role as the villainous Ursula in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, she’s calling out the harmful drag bans sweeping America, proving she’s a true ally as well as the megastar we all know and love.
In a new interview with People for the magazine’s 2023 Beautiful Issue, the two-time Oscar-nominated actor shared some powerful words about the nature of inclusivity as she recalled her journey of self-discovery in high school, a time when she first encountered harsh judgement.
“I feel like the first two years [of high school] were like, ‘We’re all going to dress alike’. Nobody wants to stand out too much. And then I was like, ‘I think I’m bored’,” she began, explaining that she decided to explore self-expression through fashion.
“And then came the mohawks and the blue hair. I mean, on the outside, I was a really good punk and gothic kid, but then I was terrible because I was really chatty. So I looked like I was going to maybe get into a fist fight. And then I was like, ‘Hi! What’s your name?'”
“I was fascinated because when I walked down the street and I looked like that, it was the first time that I’d ever had people kind of make fun of me or say really mean things to me, even adults,” she continued. “I just kept thinking, ‘You don’t know me; I didn’t do anything to you.’
“It was a real big eye-opener that people are just judging left and right. Luckily, instead of going back into my shell, I think that made me want to seek out people [expressing themselves] more. Because I was like, that’s so much more fun.”
The Bridesmaids star went on to explain that for her, inclusivity is “not just wonderful”.
“We need it. We crave it,” McCarthy said. “It’s like everybody just, you want to be loved. I want to be loved.”
McCarthy went down the ultimate avenue of self-exploration, making her own start in the entertainment world as New York drag queen Miss Y, telling Rolling Stone in 2014 that the character gave her “such confidence”.
It wasn’t until her 30s, though, that she to began to truly embrace herself.
“I was like ‘I’m okay with who I am’,” she told People. “And if someone wasn’t thrilled with that, that’s okay too. At some point I was like, ‘They’re not all going to like you.’ You have to learn that the hard way, but it’s a good [lesson].”
As she’s ascended to the heights of fame, the star has not forgotten the importance of being inclusive in everything she does along the way.
“When someone’s being their authentic self and it hurts no one else in the world … the simplest rule is: just be kind. Nobody has to think the same things. It’s okay to be curious and be like, ‘I don’t understand what someone else is doing,'” she concluded.
In a separate interview for Good Morning America, McCarthy explained how “crazy” it was to get the call from People but wants to help redefine what beauty means.
“I love what it says,” she explained. “I mean I’m 52 and I just like that we’re kind of redefining what we want to kind of think could be beautiful, could be strong, could be anything. Because I think they’re all wrapped up together now.”
The Little Mermaid opens in cinemas on 26 May 2023.
