FILTHY FUN
McCarthy gets rude and crude with puppets in Happytime Murders
When Melissa McCarthy was pitched The Happytime Murders, a crude, adult-themed puppet comedy from Brian Henson (Jim’s son), she reacted as anyone else would.
“I was curious,” the 48-year-old Oscar-nominated actress says with a chuckle down the line from Atlanta.
“How it was pitched to me was, puppets are living amongst us and the story takes place in the gritty underbelly of L.A. Puppets are the second-class citizens and you and your partner have to solve a string of murders.
“Immediately I thought: there is something that is intrinsically intriguing about this ... I think that’s the same reaction people are having toward the movie itself.”
Scripted by Todd Berger, Happytime Murders (which is now playing in theatres) is an edgy comedy that was promoted as “No Sesame, all Street,” a tag line that led to a lawsuit by the Sesame Workshop (it was dismissed).
The film follows Det. Connie Edwards (McCarthy) teaming up with her former partner Phil Philips (puppeteer Bill Barretta) — the first and last puppet cop in L.A. — to solve a string of murders targeting the stars from an old puppet sitcom, The Happytime Gang.
On the surface, the puppets may seem familiar, but in a movie that features puppet murder, puppet porn, puppet sex, puppet drugs and, ahem, puppet ejaculate, these definitely aren’t like the Muppets you might have grown up with.
“I would never let my kids watch this,” she says. “It’s a cop movie and a puppet movie that we’re smushing together, but it’s for grown-ups. This is definitely not a children’s movie.”
How did you react when Brian Henson came to you with the idea of doing an R-rated puppet murder mystery?
I love cop movies. I love the relationship between partners; even partners who are on the outs, like Phil and I are ... It’s just such a great place to jump off and tell a story — comedy or drama — and in this case, a comedy with puppets.
What was it like snorting puppet drugs?
It was all sugar. The whole storyline involves puppets being addicted to sugar and sugar smack. I wasn’t actually (snorting) it though. That would make me a complete idiot.
For people who grew up on the Muppets, seeing a movie like this seems logical. Did it seem that way for you too?
I think so. For me it wasn’t about them swearing. I love playing with reality and taking something that might happen in the real world and just bending it a bit. I love that.
You’ve had some pretty raunchy wild scenes in your previous films. How does that compare to what you do in Happytime?
There’s a hot tub scene with Phil and we have a knock-down, drag-out brawl in a hot tub. It’s really wild. I honestly didn’t know if I was punching Phil or (Barretta) or who I’m biting. I remember thinking, “I hope I’m biting the puppet and not Bill.”
And right now you’re filming Super Intelligence. What can you tell us about that?
It’s fantastic. We’re just toward the end of shooting, which is always really bittersweet. I keep calling it an apocalyptic love story. An A.I. takes over and it judges whether humanity is worth saving or not based on my character. In the end, love wins. It’s just great. It’s been a dream movie to make. I’m sad that it’s ending, because I’m getting heartbroken that it’s wrapping up.
And you’re also going to be teaming up with Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss for The Kitchen. What can we expect from that collaboration?
I’m so excited to see how that one turns out. It takes place in 1970s Hell’s Kitchen and it’s the story of three wives of gangsters who are imprisoned and we take over the Irish Mob and we end up being more brutal and more violent and more successful than our husbands ever were. It’s a brutal movie, but it’s definitely amazing.
So wait, it’s not a comedy? Oh no, it’s not a comedy at all. It’s a gangster movie, it’s violent and it’s very much a straight drama.
Do you miss playing (former White House press secretary) Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live?
No, I do not miss him. I miss going to SNL and seeing my friends, but no I do not miss him. I think I’ve had my fill of Spicer. But he certainly was fun to play.
What would young Melissa think of where she ended up in 2018?
Oh my gosh. I’d be wildly happy. If you told my 20-yearold self that I’d get to go to work every day and do exactly what I loved and be challenged by it and be surrounded by amazing people, I think that person would be pretty excited. The version now is pretty excited (laughs). I’m one of those nerds that shows up early. So, I’ll take it.