Melissa McCarthy Runs A "Crazy Test" To Decide If Someone Is Nice Enough To Work On Her Projects

Melissa McCarthy was made “physically ill” by a brutal film boss.

Speaking to The Observer, McCarthy, who plays Ursula in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, said the incident happened on a film set which she didn't name.

When asked if she had ever come up against huge egos in showbiz, the Oscar-nominated actress said: "I did work for someone once who ran such a volatile, hostile set that it made me physically ill," said McCarthy, who runs a production company with husband Ben Falcone.

"My eyes were swelling up, I was absorbing all of this nuttiness.

“There were people weeping, visibly so upset by this one person. And I think that’s why the manipulation worked, because to get to me, this person would fire people I loved, which kept me quiet.”

The Bridesmaids star said about how she shut down the nastiness: “It was very effective. Then one day, I was like, ‘It stops today!’

“I just kept saying to them, it stops, it stops. And I know now I’ll never keep quiet again.”

In the interview, McCarthy also mentioned how she and Falcone would perform a "crazy check" to decide if a person is nice to work on their projects.

Kindness is not just expected on their sets, "We demand it," she said.

She continued: “You know, we were so astounded and grateful at getting to build our own little worlds, we were like, ‘We have to build the one we’ve always talked about, where everybody gets to have an opinion and everyone is really nice. It’s going to run a lot better with no screamers or crazy egos bumbling around. Why would we risk destroying that?’”

McCarthy said she is so fixated on a need for compassion she wants to scream niceties at strangers.

She added: “Actually, I would not mind spending a day on the street corner just randomly complimenting people, really loudly.

“‘You have terrific pants on,’ or ‘I love your fringe!’ I’m going to have to do it, aren’t I?”

The Little Mermaid opens in cinemas on May 25. — BANG SHOWBIZ

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos

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