Melissa McCarthy inGenie(2023); Julia Roberts inNotting Hill(1999).Photo:Universal Pictures; Polygram/Kobal/Shutterstock
Universal Pictures; Polygram/Kobal/Shutterstock
Richard Curtisstruck casting gold once again withGenie.
Curtis — who wroteGenie, plus classic romantic comedies likeLove Actually,Four Weddings and a FuneralandBridget Jones’s Diary— tells PEOPLE he “couldn’t believe” he was able to nabMelissa McCarthyfor the lead role. He says it reminds him of a time he was able to get exactly who he wanted for another film.
“I’ve actually got a photograph of me sitting in a chair receiving the phone call whenJulia Robertssaid yes toNotting Hill,” says Curtis, 67. “Because we’d offered it to her and we thought, ‘That’s never going to happen.’ And it was a bit the same with Melissa.”
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Paapa Essiedu and Melissa McCarthy inGenie(2023).Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
Curtis says he felt McCarthy was the “perfect” person to play the plucky Flora, to the point where they weren’t really considering any other U.S.-based actresses.
“When she came straight back to us and said yes … you don’t know if people are going to be free, you don’t know if they’re going to say, ‘I never want to make aChristmasmovie.’ So it was just such joy,” he says. “And then getting into a room with her and her bouncing so many ideas.”
“She’s very respectful of the script, but also naughty with the script. So it was a catalog of delight,” Curtis adds.
He saysMcCarthy has “such warmth"and is “such a fine actress” that she was able to strike the balance of Flora’s playful nature and serious side perfectly — especially in one specific scene that comes with a big helping of deep human emotion.
Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu inGenie(2023).Universal Pictures
“I kind of knew always that was going to be the best scene in the movie, because she’s got such sort of depth and tenderness to her,” Curtis says.
Asked what lesson he’d want audiences to take fromGenie, the writer notes that “in a funny way,” the story “starts with the end of the movie.”
“You canhave all the wishes in the world, but do any of us like anything more than just sitting around a table with our family laughing? And that’s meant to happen at Christmas,” he says. “So in a way, the whole movie’s a trick. It sort of says you can wish for anything, you can get anything, but in the end there’s nothing better.”
Geniedebuts Wednesday on Peacock.
source: people.com
