00:03I met Melissa playing her pretend friend on Gilmore Girls. Thank you. Yeah, no, it hasn't
00:12had enough recognition. And we got to become friends in real life. Among the many festivities
00:24we shared over the years was the tradition of taking turns throwing a cowboy-themed Christmas
00:30party. I don't know why this was the theme. Neither of us is from the South, and I don't
00:37know any cowboys. But I still have a 10-gallon hat in my closet and photos of the Christmas
00:44where we hired a band called the Cousin Lovers to play in my living room.
00:54On the show, it was obvious that Melissa was an incredibly talented actor who brought levity
01:01and bubbliness and warmth with her portrayal of accident-prone chef Suki St. James. But
01:08I will never forget the first time I saw her perform in the Groundlings' Sunday Company.
01:15Whether she was playing a character who, for no particular reason, chugged ranch dressing
01:24or her character, Marbles, who warned you about the E. coli levels of your taco dish from Taco
01:32Bell. She made it work. I can't. The characters were so original and inventive and so, so funny.
01:40I wondered how the business and the world would ever discover and find a way to embrace the incredible
01:51range she had. The world and the business figured it out. The unifying element of all Melissa's work,
02:00from her Emmy-winning role on Mike and Molly to her Oscar-nominated performances in Bridesmaids,
02:05and Can You Ever Forgive Me, is empathy, intelligence, originality, and an enormous amount of heart.
02:13Those same skills that make her an exceptional performer and a generous philanthropist and a truly powerful woman.
02:23Through her friendship with Mariska Hargitay, she came to be involved with the Joyful Heart Foundation,
02:28which Mariska founded, whose work serves to advocate for survivors of child abuse, domestic violence,
02:35sexual assault, and the professionals who support them. About her, Mariska said,
02:40it is a gift to find someone willing to roll up their sleeves and make change. I can think of
02:46no better
02:47ambassador and no more fitting embodiment of the concept and cause of a joyful heart than my friend Melissa.
02:53Mariska Hargitay, please welcome Melissa McCarthy.
