Melissa McCarthy challenged by stunt scenes

Film star Melissa McCarthy spent her time shooting movie Spy wondering who she was chasing and why she was wearing high heels.

The comic actress plays an unlikely sleuth in the film directed by Paul Feig, which sees her desk-bound CIA analyst character volunteer to go undercover in a bid to prevent global disaster. Melissa found herself involved in a series of physically demanding stunt scenes, which left her confused and exhausted at times.

“The fighting, the running, I was just constantly, like, ‘Who am I chasing now and why am I in heels?’” Melissa joked to Britain’s Heat magazine. “I’ve got a lot of dialogue, and I’m running for four blocks, and (there are) stairs. Budapest, where we shot the film, is so beautiful and Paul Feig kept finding these staircases. By the fifth take you’ve done 20 flights. I think anyone, by their 20th flight, is a little out of breath. It’s hard to look cool when you’re gasping for air, but that was the fun of it.”

Melissa features alongside Jude Law and Rose Byrne in the film, while her real-life husband Ben Falcone also appears. The 45-year-old has been married to Ben for a decade and was working with him before romance blossomed, so she is always comfortable having him on set with her.

“We met at Groundlings (comedy troupe),” Melissa recalled. “We met doing sketches, we met writing. I met him with a terrible wig on, and I thought if he likes me after that, I got him forever.”

Melissa has carved out a hugely successful career in Hollywood, appearing in hit comedies such as Bridesmaids, The Heat and Identity Thief. She is pleased that the role of women in funny films is evolving and becoming more acceptable.

“There’s always still people who want to slide back to where there’s just three funny guys and an adorable wife that has no opinion,” Melissa mused. “I’m always, like: give her an opinion, and you have four funny people. But I think it’s getting better. People are seeing there’s a market for it, both male and female. Funny movies, dramatic movies with women in them do not have to be just for women. We make movies for everybody.”