USA TODAY International Edition
McCarthy’s pals tell their stories in ‘ Nobodies’
BFFs to the famous have stories to tell on new comedy
HOLLYWOOD You try being the less- famous friends of Melissa McCarthy. And Kristen Wiig. And Maya Rudolph. And Ben Falcone.
Those are just a handful of the bold- face names the comedians behind TV Land’s new comedy Nobodies ( Wednesday, 10 ET/ PT) started in showbiz with 20 years ago as part of the L. A.- based improv troupe The Groundlings.
While Larry Dorf, Hugh Davidson and Rachel Ramras have worked steadily in Hollywood ever since, they’ve watched many of their cohorts become household names since those early days, when everyone lived in studio apartments and relied on pre- show Papa John’s pizzas for dinner.
It’s an experience echoed in Nobodies. The friends play heightened versions of themselves as they try to elevate their careers. ( In the show, they pen a gassy ’ toon called The Fartle- mans; in real life, they worked on the Looney Tunes reboot and Adult Swim’s Mike Tyson Mysteries.)
“There’s a plethora of our friends who have gotten superfamous,” says Ramras, who’s married to Davidson. “I get it, because I know their talent level. But it’s also like, ‘ That’s Ben! That’s Melissa!’ They’re just our friends. It’s very weird.”
In Nobodies, the neurotic trio decide to approach Falcone ( McCarthy’s director/ actor husband) about starring in their film idea, a screwball White House comedy called Mr. First Lady.
In real life, “they pitched me Mr. First Lady!” says Falcone, joining the chat with McCarthy.
Falcone, who directed his wife in The Boss and Tammy, gently passed. “I was like, ‘ I just don’t think, due to the schedule,’ ” it will work, he recalls, admitting friends have approached him with roles for McCarthy “more than once, but less than 50 times.”
Plus, as the president, “Melissa would inevitably be the straight man to this wacky Mr. First Lady character. I was like, I doubt that she’s going to want to do it.’ ” But there was a silver lining: He and McCarthy now executive- produce Nobodies.
McCarthy says it’s no big deal for their circle of friends to toss around ideas.
“We’re a bunch of weird circus performers,” she says. “Everybody here ( today) was at our wedding. We’ve been pitching weird ideas to each other since the day we all met.”
But the Hollywood food chain is no joke, even on Nobodies, which features cameos by famous pals such as McCarthy, Falcone, Wiig and Jason Bateman.
“It’s super- real,” says Davidson, adding that when they were shooting scenes at The Groundlings theater, “ostensibly the three of us were shooting the show and we were the primary, main actors in it; this was our show! And sitting back there with Maya Rudolph and Jim Rash and Nat, I felt the same level of inadequacy. I felt below them. I didn’t have to fake it one bit. It’s amazing ( how) you can literally tap into those feelings of ‘ less than.’ ”
McCarthy relished playing a more entitled version of herself, FaceTiming from a private jet in full hair and makeup, pitching her friends inane ideas.
“I look forward to becoming the monster that I play,” she laughs. “All I do is whorishly pitch them ideas for next year. Because it’s so fun to start to play that crazier version of yourself.”
There’s time: Before its premiere, Nobodies already was greenlit for a second season.
“We think it was a clerical error,” deadpans Ramras.