Ghostbusters (2016): 10 Things You Didn’t Know
By Jeremy Dick
Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones (Columbia Pictures)
9. Melissa McCarthy was supposed to play Patty Tolan
One of the brightest spots about the new Ghostbusters was Leslie Jones in the role of Patty Tolan. While I think all four actresses are good, I could have taken or left the other ones, but I’d say Jones was just perfect for this role. But it originally was going to go to one of her co-stars before Paul Feig changed his mind.
Apparently, Melissa McCarthy was going to play Patty Tolan before being moved into the part of Abby Yates. Paul Feig later confirmed in an interview that this was the case, suggesting that McCarthy had already played a similar role to Patty, and he wanted to use that spot to launch someone new into the spotlight.
“This is the role that Leslie can shine comedically in,” Feig was quoted as saying. “If you’ve ever seen her do stand-up, it’s just who she is. I wanted to unleash Leslie on the public in the same way we unleashed Melissa on the public in Bridesmaids, with a very showy role.”
Smart move, as McCarthy still got to be entertaining as Abby, while the door was then opened for Jones to become a major player by nailing the role.
Next: An A-list actress says 'No'