Melissa McCarthy on her tragic Netflix role and the 'bulls-' comedy excuse
Melissa McCarthy is trading laughs for tears in an upcoming Netflix series. Per Variety, she stars as Patsy Ramsey in "The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey," which premieres December 10.
The show examines the 1996 killing of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey and the intense media circus that followed. McCarthy, who is also an executive producer, described feeling part of the public "feeding frenzy" at the time.
Clive Owen, who plays John Ramsey in the series, said McCarthy's involvement was a "big part" of why he took the role. He called her a "brilliant actress" and noted they became friends during the "emotionally wrenching" project.
McCarthy told Variety she initially had no interest in the story, but changed her mind after researching. She said she was "floored by the lack of humanity" shown to the Ramsey family.
The article also notes McCarthy took issue with a common Hollywood excuse for why comedies fail, calling it "bulls-." She argued the problem isn't the genre, but the execution.
