Melissa McCarthy Says She Would Film a "Bridesmaids" Sequel as Soon as "This Afternoon"

With heart-warming moments, quirky characters, relatable situations, and hilarious lines, Bridesmaids is arguably one of the most iconic romantic comedies in cinema history. It’s been 12 years since the movie premiered, but Melissa McCarthy, who starred as a bridesmaid named Megan, says she would play that beloved character all over again if given the choice. “I would do a Bridesmaids sequel this afternoon, right now,” she tells People in an interview for the cover of its 2023 Beautiful Issue. “That group of women was the most magical thing ever. Almost all of us were really good friends already. I think it was such a magical time.” 

In the movie, Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) is the maid of honor for bride-to-be Lillian (Maya Rudolph), but she butts heads with another bridesmaid, Helen (Rose Byrne), when they both compete for the title of Lillian’s best friend. The trio and the other bridesmaids (Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and McCarthy) find themselves in chaotic and laugh-out-loud situations, from food poisoning during the dress fitting to a meltdown at the bridal shower. The Little Mermaid star says even if the entire cast is 90 years old, if her castmates Wiig and Byrne asked her to collaborate, McCarthy would respond, “Yes. Yeah, we should.” 

While filming the movie, McCarthy says her favorite part was all of the laughs the group shared on set. “Just being around that many funny people where truly it was like people dropping to the ground because we couldn't get air in," she recalls. "From a distance, it must have looked like we all had food poisoning because there was just times where we'd be like... You can't be around that group of humans and not just be beside yourself.”

One scene when the group went wedding dress shopping was a highlight for the Gilmore Girls actress. “It just ended up being so funny,” she reflects. “Also, just Kristen shoving 72 Jordan almonds in her mouth. There was a take where she must have had 40 in there, and we were like, 'Kristen's going to choke.' It was also terribly unprofessional acting because anyone who wasn't on camera was usually bent over and just shaking. None of us were behaving.” Another element that made her experience that much better? “That and the dogs,” she says. “I did enjoy all the dogs.”

If the cast filmed another sequel, McCarthy envisions Megan and Air Marshal Jon (played by her husband Ben Falcone) having a blissful marriage and fulfilling professional lives. She predicts they would be “running her trucking company, and they’re obviously private detectives—obviously, just to state what everybody knows. I think they have matching denim jackets with each other's image painted on it. I think they're so happy. And they're running a dog rescue, I'll say that."