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'Spy' Stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, & Director Paul Feig

'Spy' Stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, & Director Paul Feig

7:53·By Gemma G
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The YH Studio welcomes the wonderful and talented cast of action-comedy 'Spy', Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, and Miranda Hart, as well as the film's director Paul Feig! They reveal what their real-life top secret spy name would be and their real-life catchphrases, plus they talk about Mr. Feig's affinity for Post-It notes on set!

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Young Hollywood

Do you guys each have a catchphrase or a line that you tend to use the most or overuse? Rose, how about you? Catchphrase or GIF?

Rose Byrne

I can relate to that one. Sweet little thing. So delicate and demure. Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled.

Young Hollywood

Hey guys, Nicky Novak here in the Young Hollywood studio, and I'm thrilled to have the cast and the director of Spy. And I feel like we're like a singing group standing here. Not like not like a singing group. So thank you for coming in. Um, just to start things off, your your spy name. I know this was in the film, your spy name would be your first pet and the street you grew up on. So I just want to go down the line and see what your real-life spy name would be.

Melissa McCarthy

Turza Hancock.

Miranda Hart

What?

Melissa McCarthy

Yes. My grandmother named our cat Turza. I think it's a name from the Bible or something. And then Hancock.

Miranda Hart

I just wish your name was Turza. I wish your middle name was Turza.

Melissa McCarthy

Well, maybe it will be when I get to the courthouse. I know Rose's is pretty special. You get to go first.

Rose Byrne

Yeah. My is a special one. Tunapuss Trout.

Miranda Hart

What? What is it?

Rose Byrne

Tunapuss Trout.

Melissa McCarthy

Oh my gosh. That's the name of your cat? Wow. That's untoppable.

Miranda Hart

What kind of animal was Tunapuss?

Rose Byrne

It was a big fat tabby cat.

Melissa McCarthy

I thought we couldn't top yours, but as we're going down, they're getting ready.

Miranda Hart

No, I think mine's quite boring. Mine's Ollie Elmswater. But I think it's quite classy. It's almost three British, have you?

Jason Statham

Thanks very much, Macarfe.

Paul Feig

Mine's pretty boring. Jasper Edward.

Melissa McCarthy

Oh, that's a good one.

Jason Statham

Mine is Scuzzy Van Dyke.

Miranda Hart

Wow, what was Scuzzy?

Jason Statham

Scuzzy was a kitten and I was really little so I confused Fluffy with Scuzzy.

Miranda Hart

What's your take on it?

Jason Statham

My mom kept saying, "I don't think Scuzzy means what you think it does." And I said, "Yeah, that's a scuzzy cat."

Young Hollywood

Rayana Boyanov knows where that nuke is. She knows the identity of all our agents. We need someone to find the bomb without being detected, but it can't be any of you. We need someone invisible.

Melissa McCarthy

I'll do it.

Young Hollywood

Uh, okay. Thanks, lunch lady.

Melissa McCarthy

I'm serious. Don't let me down, Cooper.

Young Hollywood

I will not.

Melissa McCarthy

I will let you up.

Young Hollywood

Stop talking.

Melissa McCarthy

I will let you up.

Young Hollywood

We're giving you a new identity. You will no longer be Susan Cooper. You're Honey Morgan, divorced housewife from Iowa. In the film, you you express at one point, you say, "Christmas on a cracker," which I thought was an adorable line. Do you guys each have a catchphrase, or a line that you tend to use the most, or overuse?

Miranda Hart

Paul, may I answer for Paul? Paul loves Christmas on a cracker.

Paul Feig

Yes, I do. Yes, I do. That's Paul. Christmas. Yes, I am. I'm a Christmas mad. Um, I mean, my if I have a catchphrase in life, it's not interesting, it's just I always say, "We'll see." I drive people crazy. "Yeah, we'll see. We'll see." because it means I don't want to make the decision now.

Young Hollywood

Rose, how about you? Catchphrase or GIF?

Rose Byrne

I can relate to that one. Sweet little thing. Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled. You merged those two together. Just yell that at the cat all the time. Get it, give her that cat all the time.

Miranda Hart

One of my a character that I played says, "Tickety-boo" a lot. And Melissa said that a lot when filming. It was requested a lot because it's not better when it's not Tickety-boo.

Melissa McCarthy

I love it. I love it. I'm never gonna

Jason Statham

Catchphrase.

Young Hollywood

All right, we're gonna.

Jason Statham

Catchphrase.

Melissa McCarthy

How about yours? Oh Lord. That's a good one. I don't know what I really. I I say, "On the day," a lot. Meaning if it it's terrible now, don't judge me. And I pretend it's gonna be better later. So I'm like, "On the day, it'll be great." No. It's not great. It always is.

Young Hollywood

I was given specific instructions by Elaine to tailor these gadgets to you. These are not yours. This anti-fungal spray can freeze and disable any security system.

Melissa McCarthy

Wow. That is quite an image to be carrying all over Europe.

Young Hollywood

It's also a pepper spray. Why not just make it look like pepper spray?

Paul Feig

It's a pretty good idea. All right. Well, next time.

Melissa McCarthy

Well, I can I can wait if you want to print up a new label.

Paul Feig

No, I'd have to turn the printer on again.

Young Hollywood

What did I hear about the two of you? You did the helicopter scene. Jason was hanging off of you and there was something about you weren't getting handsy enough.

Melissa McCarthy

Apparently I wasn't, right? No, I I'd have to pay for that privilege.

Young Hollywood

Who has your call? Yes. Now, who was it that told you to get more handsy? Was it you, Melissa, or was it you, Paul, or was it Bo?

Paul Feig

I I believe I yelled, "Get handsy! Get handsy!" And

Melissa McCarthy

He was about, like, 50 feet above Paul and I knew when he came out, I was like, "Don't say what I think you're gonna say." Paul he goes, "I'm sorry. Get handsy!" Which meant he's climbing up me and this this is where he landed. Red flag to a bull. Of course, absolutely, Paul.

Young Hollywood

Now, is this why you said that he's your comedy crush now? Other than his obvious comedic chops.

Melissa McCarthy

There's so many things. Yes, we had a our our wonderful hanging romance. Will go down in for all time.

Young Hollywood

So in the film, I loved there was a bit where Jason, you said, "I want to have a face-off." You were so willing to go undercover as you know, the CIA agent that you said, you know, "I'll change faces, I'll get plastic surgery." So if you guys could have anybody's face and live in anybody's shoes for a day and a half, see the world respond, how the world responds to you with that person or that person's persona, who would it be?

Paul Feig

That's an easy one. Right there. That man right there. That choice.

Young Hollywood

Didn't you call him the god that walks among us or something like that?

Paul Feig

I did say. He is a god who walks among us, exactly.

Miranda Hart

That's amazing.

Rose Byrne

Like Michael Jackson.

Melissa McCarthy

Oh, good one.

Miranda Hart

Someone like Rose from the dead.

Melissa McCarthy

You might have to moonwalk. Can you moonwalk, though?

Rose Byrne

I could I would learn.

Jason Statham

I gotta say Cher.

Melissa McCarthy

Oh. Cher. Interesting.

Jason Statham

In the jumpsuit.

Melissa McCarthy

In the cheek out jumpsuit, maybe, when she was on the the sailor show. I could pull that off. I mean, Yeah.

Miranda Hart

Cher as well. Cher as well. In her early in years, of course. Sharon Waxberg. She lives down the street.

Paul Feig

I don't know who I'd pick.

Melissa McCarthy

Try Cher. There you go. But I would be I would be Cher, Gypsy. Gypsy, Tran Some These. Oh, nice. I still have it long and straight.

Young Hollywood

I heard something about Paul that you love to give Post-its on set. That there's like a it's like a Post-it frenzy as actors are improvising.

Paul Feig

All my writers have uh have uh Post-it notes and pads and so they'll write and just hand some Post-its are coming in into my script that I'm running up to people and shoving Post-its in their faces 'cause I don't like them I don't like the other actors to know what they're gonna say so that they can be surprised.

Young Hollywood

So if you guys could choose your favorite Post-it that you received during film.

Melissa McCarthy

Yeah, what's your favorite Post-it from?

Miranda Hart

They're all filthy. They're all incredibly incredibly filthy. I know that.

Young Hollywood

Jason?

Jason Statham

Oh, there's too many to choose from. A lot of them about the poison.

Melissa McCarthy

Yeah, I was gonna say that's my favorite. I'm immune to 189 different types of poison because I've tried them all at once. When I was deep undercover in some poison ingesting crime ring. Something like that. It wasn't it couldn't even fit on a Post-it. It literally had to be a piece of paper.

Miranda Hart

You were getting like yellow legal pad sheets. We got Post-its. Jason got like a legal pad. So you're handing to Jason, "Are you serious?"

Young Hollywood

You can do it. You can do it. Thank you so much for coming in. This was such a phenomenal film. And now the weather.

Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

  • Melissa McCarthy

    Cast member of 'Spy'

  • Jason Statham

    Cast member of 'Spy'

  • Rose Byrne

    Cast member of 'Spy'

  • Miranda Hart

    Cast member of 'Spy'

  • Paul Feig

    Director of 'Spy'

  • Nicky Novak

    Interviewer at Young Hollywood

  • Michael Jackson

    Referenced when choosing a face for a day

  • Cher

    Referenced when choosing a face for a day

  • Sharon Waxberg

    Mentioned as a neighbor

FAQ

Who are the stars of the movie 'Spy' interviewed by Young Hollywood?+
The stars interviewed are Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, and Miranda Hart, along with the film's director Paul Feig.
What is Paul Feig's unique method for directing improvised lines on set?+
Paul Feig uses Post-it notes for improvised lines, giving them directly to actors so others don't know what will be said, allowing for surprised reactions.
What was the inspiration for the spy names discussed by the cast?+
The spy names were inspired by the character's first pet and the street they grew up on, a method also used in the film.
What is one of the catchphrases mentioned by the cast members?+
Miranda Hart's character often says 'Tickety-boo,' and Paul Feig likes the phrase 'Christmas on a cracker' from the film.

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