Melissa McCarthy, Jason Bateman Drew Laughs On Identity Thief Set
Identity theft is no laughing matter, but not in the case of Seth Gordon‘s comedy Identity Thief.
In the film, Jason Bateman plays Sandy Bigelow Patterson, a loving husband and father, who’s identity is stolen by the deceptively innocent-looking Melissa McCarthy. Bateman takes a trip to the Sunshine State to try and seek revenge, but little does he know that it’s a trip more wild than he would have ever imagined, or liked.
During the world premiere of Identity Thief at Westwood Village Theatre on Monday night, the film’s cast shared their experiences of being on the hilarious set.
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Amanda Peet, who plays Bateman’s wife in the film, told The Hollywood Reporter that Mike & Molly star’s non-stop humor forced some of the crew to disappear for a while in order to not interrupt the scenes with their laughter.
“I think there were a few of us left on the sound stage because everyone had dispersed because she was being so funny,” said Peet about co-star McCarthy. “I was looking over my shoulder, and I tried to think of every tragic thing I could possibly think of and to no avail.”
When recalling one of her favorite moments with McCarthy, Peet revealed to THR: “It was her Bermuda Triangle monologue, for me. I just couldn’t…”
Gordon, who directed 2011’s Horrible Bosses, also agreed that “there’s one [part] in the movie where she made up a run about the Bermuda Triangle, and I honestly don’t think I should say more than that ’cause it’s something for people to find in the movie.”
Gordon adds that the laughter was “nonstop” during shooting.
“When they’re in the car, [Bateman] would often drive with one hand because he had the other hand pinching his legs so he wouldn’t laugh,” Gordon told THR. “Pinching it hard enough so it was painful.”
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Gordon added, “They saw immediately how to find each other’s rhythm. They found the comedy instantly. The hardest part was keeping from laughing from all these takes when they would come up with new stuff.”
Genesis Rodriguez, who stars as a criminal chasing down McCarthy’s character throughout the film, commented on how “the comedy isn’t so much about being thrown in your face. It’s about being natural with it. And being a real character, and not so much an outward thing.”
As Rodriguez’s partner-in-crime in the movie, Tip “T.I.” Harris remarked on “how funny these two people, Melissa and Jason, are on- and off-camera. They’re always onstage. I challenge anyone in the industry to do a scene with them, and not break down laughing in tears.”
With outrageous moments on set, there was nothing the Bridesmaid actress wasn’t willing to do.
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“I had a great, great stunt woman who helped me, but I did [do my own stunts],” McCarthy told reporters. “Anything that I thought I could do, I was like ‘I’ll give that a try’ and at night, I was like ‘What have I done? ‘”
Identity Thief opens in theaters on Feb. 8.
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