Related: What Is Melissa McCarthy’s Next Movie? Five years later, during the second time Michelle is returned, she is played by Vivian Falcone the only time Vivian appears onscreen. The Boss begins with a flashback to 1975 to reveal how, as a child, Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) kept getting returned to the orphanage from where she was adopted. Though Thunder Force features Vivian Falcone more prominently, her first onscreen role was in The Boss. While The Boss casts Vivian in a much more minor role, she is one of the first actors to appear.
As Lydia then tells the boy, " don't think a girl won't hit you, Wayne." In what might be the best ever impression of Melissa McCarthy's movie roles, Vivian Falcone's young Lydia then picks up a stick to threaten Wayne, forcing him to climb inside a dumpster, because "that's where the garbage goes." These are the roots of Lydia and Emily's long relationship, scenes gracefully carried by the charismatic performance of Vivian Falcone, who is clearly beginning to develop a strong onscreen presence. Though this also earns Lydia some detention time, it shows that the meathead kid who eventually becomes the superhero known as The Hammer is actually smarter than she seems.ĭuring recess, Wayne continues to bully Emily, and when Lydia walks over to stop him, Wayne threatens Lydia by telling her "don't think I won't hit a girl, Lydia." Immediately, Lydia strikes Wayne's face with a stiff straight right, knocking him down. When a boy named Wayne bullies Emily for being smart in class, Lydia cleverly defends Emily by using the ongoing grammar lesson to humiliate Wayne. Singleton, who in turn plays young Emily (Octavia Spencer). The Boss' supporting cast is rounded out by comedic character actor types like Kristen Schaal ( 30 Rock, Bob's Burgers), Annie Mumolo (who also co-penned Bridesmaids), Cecily Strong ( Saturday Night Live), and Kathy Bates ( American Horror Story) - all of whom are only onscreen for a limited amount of time, yet still manage to leave an impression playing their respective caricatures of everything from an over-zealous Dandelion scout's mom to Michelle's equally blunt (and accomplished) mentor in the film.During a flashback scene in Thunder Force, Vivian Falcone plays a young Lydia (McCarthy) alongside Bria D. Evil) very much plays the second-fiddle to McCarthy and Bell as Claire's affable coworker/potential love interest Mike, but shines during the scenes where he is given a chance to cut loose and join McCarthy and Dinklage in the fun. Similarly, Tyler Labine ( Tucker and Dale vs. Game of Thrones fan-favorite Peter Dinklage gets a chance to effectively show off his comedy chops in The Boss, in turn delivering a scene-stealing performance as the vengeful-though-oddball Renault during his limited screen time in the film. Melissa McCarthy and Kathy Bates in The Boss Ella Anderson as Claire's daughter Rachel likewise has a good onscreen dynamic with McCarthy, making it all the easier to believe that Claire and Rachel would be willing to embrace Michelle for her good qualities (fortunately, the film actually remembers to give her some) while tolerating the not-so-endearing aspects of her zany personality. Kristen Bell is primarily relegated to the role of straight-(wo)man during her scenes with McCarthy, but Bell delivers a fine performance as the good-natured Claire all the same - and enjoys a relaxed chemistry with both McCarthy and her other costars, allowing them to effectively bounce their jokes off her. Melissa McCarthy, as mentioned before, makes all the difference in this respect, as she is responsible for providing the bulk of the comedy in The Boss - and she likewise lends more emotional weight to Michelle's character arc in the film, once again providing a reminder that McCarthy is as adept at dramatic acting as she is comedy performance (see also her work in the movie St.