I cannot WAIT to see Melissa McCarthy play the criminal mastermind Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me, a role that’s already earning her Oscar buzz. But the Academy should also consider recognizing McCarthy’s feline co-star—a wonderful cat named Towne who plays Israel’s cat Jersey—because it sounds like he’s every bit the star.
In an interview with Deadline, director Marielle Heller described Towne as the “MARLON BRANDO OF CATS” (emphasis mine), which makes him sound like a total dream. My dream is that maybe one day, cats can be nominated for Academy Awards. “I heard there are actually Academy Awards for pets,” said Heller. “I can’t remember what they are called, but I call them the Cat Oscars and this cat should win.”
Fun fact: Towne is a boy cat, but he plays a girl cat onscreen. The range.
McCarthy described a healthy air of competition on set with Towne. “The first time I take him—or her, whatever—to the vet, while we are at the counter, he sneezed. And I look at him and literally thought, ‘Are you kidding me? Are you pretending to be sick?’ Then Marielle cuts and I looked to the camera and said to myself, ‘This cat is out-acting me.’”
Inspiring. May we all take that spirit of confidence into all our professional and creative endeavors. Towne for mayor.