Melissa McCarthy: 'No one told me Chris Hemsworth's so funny'
Ghostbusters stars blown away by Chris Hemsworth's comedic abilities
She has found her match.
And it is not her comedic partner Kristen Wiig from their hit 2011 chick flick Bridesmaids or Saturday Night Live stars Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
She meant Chris Hemsworth, her other Ghostbusters co-star.
"He's one of the best improvisers I've ever worked with and I've worked with many funny people," proclaimed 45-year-old US actress Melissa McCarthy about the hunky Australian actor. He is better known for his action prowess and his role as Asgardian superhero Thor.
McCarthy was speaking at the Ghostbusters press conference at the ArtScience Museum yesterday.
She was in Singapore along with US director Paul Feig as part of the publicity tour for the upcoming female-centric reboot of the iconic 1984 supernatural comedy that starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis.
McCarthy and Hemsworth were also at Ghostbusters' red carpet premiere last Sunday night at The Event Plaza at Marina Bay Sands, where 263 fans set a new Guinness World Records title for the largest gathering of people dressed as ghosts at a single venue.
Opening here on July 14, the new film features McCarthy, Wiig, McKinnon and Jones as the paranormal hunters, while Hemsworth plays their Ken doll-like receptionist Kevin.
To say that Feig and his leading ladies were blown away by his surprising comedic abilities was an understatement.
"No one told me that Chris is so bizarrely funny," said McCarthy, adding that she has met countless comedians throughout her career and Hemsworth ranks high at the top.
Having him deliver the punchlines was easy, but the women found it very hard not to objectify him.
"You have to keep telling yourself to stay focused, be centred and respectful," she said.
"But when he walks onto the set, you go 'Oh my God!
"We had such a fun time with him. He became such a part of us that we stopped gawking... maybe except for Leslie."
Feig, 53, said: "Life is not fair. How can one look like that and yet be so funny?"
"He'd sing on set sometimes and I'd stop him from doing that," said McCarthy, faking disgust.
"I want to keep on pretending that there is something he's actually terrible at."
While Hemsworth might be Ghostbusters' secret weapon and could help bring in moviegoers, Feig remained positive that his repackaged version will be well-received, despite the negative buzz surrounding the movie's trailers by detractors online.
Discriminating comments were made about Feig's decision to do a gender flip.
There was also a harsh reaction over Jones' street-smart New Yorker character, which some felt was a racial stereotype.
The trolling became so bad for Jones that she almost quit Twitter, leading Feig to mount his defence of Jones in March.
"Haters, attack me all you want but when you attack and insult my cast, you've crossed the line," tweeted the director of successful female-empowerment comedies such as Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013) and Spy (2015), all starring McCarthy.
Feig, a fan of the original flick, said: "(Ghostbusters) is such a beloved franchise so we completely understand that people get nervous when they learn we are going to reboot a classic movie."
FUNNIEST
"(Murray and company) were the funniest people at that time. So for this remake, I knew I needed to find the biggest comedians to make it work," added Feig.
"And I happen to know some of the best comedians on the planet. They just happen to be women.
"All we ask is to just watch the movie and judge it based on its own merits."
GIRL POWER: Ghostbusters (From left) Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones. PHOTO: SONY PICTURESFeig explained that he took on the job to "entertain the audience".
"There is no other agenda than to make people laugh."
McCarthy said in support: "You look at Paul's body of work. He has a great eye. He tells incredible stories, and he handles comedy and action very well."
She felt that it was "very odd" that people are slamming something they have not even seen.
"Everybody from the original movie is so excited. They have seen it and they loved it. And that's the only blessing we needed."
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