Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd star in The Starling. The film first premiered at TIFF this year and be released in select theaters on September 17. The Starling will then become available to stream on Netflix starting September 24.
After Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) suffers a loss, a battle with a territorial bird (The Starling) over dominion of her garden provides an unlikely avenue for her grief and the courage to heal her relationships and rediscover her capacity for love.
McCarthy is best known for her role as Molly on the hit CBS comedy Mike & Molly, which she directed several episodes of as well as won an Emmy Award and People’s Choice Award for. She has also won an Emmy award for Saturday Night Live, which she has hosted multiple times, and was both awarded the Inaugural People’s Icon Award at the 2018 People’s Choice Awards and the Comedic Genius Award from MTV.
On the big screen, she is known for her work in Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Superintelligence, The Kitchen, Life of the Party, The Boss, Ghostbusters, Spy, St. Vincent, Tammy, The Heat, Identity Thief, This is 40, The Hangover Part III, The Back-Up Plan, Life As We Know It, Pretty Ugly People, Just Add Water, The Nines, White Oleander, Pumpkin, Go, and Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed.
Recently, she can be seen in Netflix’s Thunder Force and also served as an executive producer for the film. In 2013, McCarthy and husband, Ben Falcone, founded On the Day Productions. Since then, they have produced many film and television projects, such as Tammy, The Boss, Life of the Party, Nobodies, Little Big Shots, Superintelligence, Thunder Force, God’s Favorite Idiot, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, and Betrayal & Greed. On television, the actress can be seen in Gilmore Girls, Samantha Who?, Nobodies, God’s Favorite Idiot, and Little Big Shot. Upcoming projects include Disney’s highly anticipated live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
On the big screen, O’Dowd is known for his work in Bridesmaids, Thor: The Dark World, The Sapphires, This Is 40, Gulliver’s Travels, Friends with Kids, Epic, Cuban Fury, St. Vincent, Moone Boy, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Incredible Jessica James, Love After Love, and Juliet, Naked. The actor’s notable television credits include FM, The Crimson Petal and the White, Family Tree, The IT Crowd, Monsters vs. Aliens, State of the Union, and Get Shorty.
He has won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series as well as a AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor. Recently, O’Dowd starred in Michael Longhurst’s critically acclaimed revival of Nick Payne’s Constellations at the Vaudeville theatre. The show, which broke box office records, will be available to watch online in October 2021.
I had the chance to chat with the talented duo about teaming up again for such a powerful project, what they hope audiences learn from The Starling, and how they felt watching the finished film. Watch my interview below to find out what they told me!
