Melissa McCarthy Reveals Why Now Is the Right Time for ‘The Starling’

Pathos and humor collide in the heartwarming dramedy The Starling, a film starring Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd as a married couple who suffer a loss. While the latter heads off to deal with his grief, McCarthy’s Lilly remains in the “real” world, dealing with her guilt and a crippling internal struggle to live with a dark secret. As if Lilly’s troubles weren’t bad enough, a starling bird that has nested in her backyard also begins to harass and attack her. This starling comes to represent all of Lilly’s problems, and she becomes comically obsessed with killing it.

Eventually, with a little guidance from Larry (Kevin Kline), a quirky psychologist-turned-veterinarian with a troubled past of his own, Lilly begins to explore, acknowledge, and confront her problems, which allows her to heal her relationships and rediscover her capacity for love. To celebrate the film’s premiere, we chatted with McCarthy about the hopeful nature of the Ted Melfi-directed film and what she hopes viewers take away from it.

What was your initial impression when you finished reading the script?

I loved this story with my whole heart. I laughed and cried, I found myself at times angry and conflicted and then rooting for and loving these characters throughout the whole script. It was messy, just like life.

Ted Melfi’s films always have a finely tuned balance of pathos and humor and this film is no exception. How do you and your collaborators thread that needle of weightiness and buoyancy?

My fellow actors and our mighty Brooklyn-born, mango-eating director walked that tightrope of intense loss, denial, mental health, humor, and hope and love beautifully. I think we all saw the same tone, it’s real life. You cry at weddings and laugh at funerals. There are times where no matter what, you are just not “OK.” It’s up and down and so often sideways.

Themes of grieving, resilience, and hope are always relevant, but how does it feel to have the film being released in this moment?

This film is evergreen but it does feel like especially now, after this last year and a half of uncertainty, loss, and anger, that we are realizing mental health issues are an equal opportunity condition. Releasing The Starling now feels right. Not because it deals with tough subjects, but because it shows you that we can come through it, probably not in the way you expected—but that there is a path. Also, the idea that compassion can come from strangers as well as loved ones is something we all need to be reminded of.

What do you hope viewers take away from The Starling?

I hope people can just lose themselves for an hour and a half. Or realize they’re not alone in what they’re going through, or laugh or cry or even root for the bird. But ultimately, what I always want to do with a film is to make people feel a little less alone, a little happier, and maybe go a little bit easier on themselves going forward.

The Starling premieres Sept. 24 on Netflix.