Melissa McCarthy On ‘Ghostbusters’ Hate: “I Just Don’t Know Why People Are Afraid Of Women”

We are two years removed from the controversy that surrounded the female-led reboot of “Ghostbusters.” Even though the film starred four of the top female comedians in the world, directed by “Bridesmaids” helmer Paul Feig, fans of the original “Ghostbusters” cried foul and began a targeted campaign to derail the film. The trailer for the rebooted “Ghostbusters” became the most “disliked” trailer in YouTube history (let’s face it, downvoted on purpose) and while the film did so-so box office business ($229.1 million worldwide, but lost money), it underperformed all expectations, was seen as a flop, and a sequel just isn’t coming. And even though two years have gone by, star Melissa McCarthy is still hurt about how her film was received, particularly by those that targeted it due to the female representation.

“I just don’t know why people are so afraid of women. It’s fascinating to me,” McCarthy said in an new interview with Yahoo.

She continued, jokingly saying, “If a movie 35 years later is ‘ruining your childhood,’ don’t blame us — you’ve got your own issues.”

As with fan reception to many reboots, especially with ones that change the genders or race of characters– “race-bending” as one blogger likes to call it — people tend to be hyperbolic with their hatred. McCarthy isn’t lying when she says that fans said the 2016 reboot “ruined” their childhood. Many trolls used that as the reasoning for their dislike of the female-led film.

But all the venom towards her version of “Ghostbusters” hasn’t deterred McCarthy. She still uses it as a lesson for her young children. “As the mom of two daughters, I just always say, ‘There you go. Be you. Don’t back down,’” she said.

McCarthy has moved on pretty well from the 2016 mess, as she is headlining an apparent awards contender, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,”directed by Marielle Heller (“Diary Of A Teenage Girl“),which has many people thinking that a second Academy Award nomination could be in the cards for the funny actress.

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is in select theaters now and will expand nationwide in the weeks to come. And if you passed on the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot, then give it a shot. It’s not the greatest or funniest film of all time (as many have said about the original), but it’s four fun actresses giving it their all and it’s pretty damn enjoyable.