An Oscar nominee for her bawdy breakout role in Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy buckles up beside Susan Sarandon for big laughs in Tammy, a road-trip comedy in theaters July 2. As for the Emmy-winning Mike & Molly star’s own journey, gays and lesbians have always been along for the ride. From the inspirational lesbian couple in Tammy to her longtime love of wigs and drag queens, Mike & Molly‘s Melissa explains it all in The Advocate’s A-List interview.
On her girl crush:
“The more I watch Girls the more I realize I’m crazy about Lena Dunham. She’s my girl crush. She’s smart, funny, confident, and she isn’t afraid to look awkward. She’s exactly who she is, take it or leave it. Nothing’s more charming than someone who doesn’t take herself too seriously.”
On her longtime connection with the LGBT community:
“All of my friends were gay. In high school we started going to downtown Chicago clubs like Berlin, one of the best gay bars ever. I remember being undressed and then redressed by two drag queens up on a pillar, and at the end I looked like Bea Arthur. At 43, it’s still one of the greatest nights of my life. … It was just my world. I was a little odd, and I found them to be the most accepting group. We were a band of outsiders who went downtown and realized, ‘Oh, we’re all right.’ There were tons of creative people doing their thing, and it was only the scared people who wanted to shut it down.”
On gay men discovering her when she was starting out as a stand-up comic in New York City:
“They accepted me as a woman trying to be a man who’s trying to be a woman. I wanted to be a drag queen so badly. I’ll bet I still own more wigs than any drag queen — I love me a wig.”
On whether she’s ever dated a gay man:
“Just one? There were so many. In my early 20s I was like the last stop before a guy said, ‘Yep, it’s official: I’m gay.’ I’d be like, ‘Really?!’ I’d think, But he’s so funny, so charming, and such a good dresser. I never saw it coming.”
On raising her children with values of acceptance:
“Well, I actually love that I don’t really have to talk about it either. Our friends at the table are gay couples, and my kids have friends with same-sex parents. It’s just a part of this next generation, so there’s no need to explain it. It’s a fantastic reality without lines or rights and wrongs. I love that my girls see no difference between those same-sex couples and the male-female couples that we hang out with. I’m more proud of that than anything.”
Read the full interview at: http://bit.ly/1k5gNfJ
