( RollingStone.com ) -- She 's brassy , hilarious and just about the only comedian around who can almost single-handedly carry a movie to a $ 35 million opening : `` Tammy '' star Melissa McCarthy is on the cover of our Summer Double issue ( on stands now ) , flexing her muscles for a revealing story that details her long rise to stardom and her ( sometimes unusual ) acting techniques . McCarthy may be known for swearing onscreen , but hanging out with contributing editor Erik Hedegaard , she offers more `` holy smokies ! '' than f***s as she explains how she spent a decade kicking around comedy clubs in New York and Los Angeles , then gave herself a deadline : If she did n't catch a break by the time she turned 30 , she 'd consider giving up the dream . A week before her birthday , she got a call about an audition for `` Gilmore Girls , '' and 14 years later , she 's become one of the most reliable comedy actors in Hollywood , stealing the spotlight in movies like `` Bridesmaids , '' `` The Heat '' and `` Identity Thief '' and chilling with Brad and Angelina at the Golden Globes . Rated XX : A brief history of female comedies . Here are five revelations from the story : . She started her career in comedy doing stand-up as a drag queen named Miss Y . When McCarthy moved to New York at age 20 , her roommate , Brian Atwood , a friend from home who would go on to become a popular shoe designer , suggested she try stand-up . `` I really dressed to rival a drag queen , for sure , '' she recalls . ( `` It was the time of Lady Miss Kier , RuPaul and Lady Bunny , '' says Atwood . ) `` I had a gold lamé swing coat on , a huge wig , big eyelashes , '' McCarthy recalls . `` I talked about being incredibly wealthy and beautiful and living extravagantly . '' She got cast in `` Bridesmaids '' despite slipping into one of her `` fugue states '' during the audition — and rambling about dolphin sex . Doing improv with Kristen Wiig in front of Judd Apatow and Paul Feig , McCarthy blacked out and began rambling about inter-species dolphin sex . `` There 's not one thing you could have done to seem any stranger , '' she said to herself in the car home . `` Sex with a dolphin ? Handplay with a dolphin ! You just could not have been any weirder . '' A year or so later , she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film . 'Saturday Night ' specials : 15 great female 'SNL ' hosts . She also blacks out during many of her best curse-filled tirades . When McCarthy was a kid , she 'd flatten herself against dining room chairs and scare her father by grabbing his leg when he finally walked by . These days , she brings that commitment to her acting roles , getting so deep into character that she almost loses consciousness . During the end credits of `` This Is 40 , '' for instance , McCarthy tells Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann , `` I would like to rear up and jackknife my legs and kick you both in the f*****g jaw with my foot bone . That 's what I would f*****g love . I wish my f*****g foot would go right through your skull . '' Now , she laughs , `` When I saw that scene , I really truly did n't remember saying most of it . '' She was a bit of an angsty teenage goth . Early in high school , McCarthy was a preppy jock : a cheerleader and a student-council member . But when puberty hit , she dyed her hair blue-black , wore weirdo fishnets on her arms and snuck out to Chicago , where she 'd frequent a club called Medusa 's and dance on scaffolding . `` I turned slightly nuts , '' she admits of the years she drank wine coolers and cheap beer — and did a little shoplifting . `` We 'd wrap sweaters around ourselves and walk out . '' ( She also owns up to stealing a Chunky when she was five . ) Melissa McCarthy : The runaway bridesmaid . She 's actually quite happy now . Less the tortured comic genius of cliché than a married-with-kids success story , McCarthy seems almost content . When Hedegaard asks what she might be running from , the star ca n't come up with an answer , offering only , `` I do n't know . '' Her self-destructive habits ? `` I could eat healthier , I could drink less , '' she says . `` I should be learning another language and working out more , but I 'm just always saying , 'Ah , I could get hit by a bus tomorrow . ' '' See the original story on RollingStone.com . See more comedy news at CNN Comedy . Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone .
Melissa McCarthy covers Rolling Stone 's June 21 issue . She talks about her unusual audition for `` Bridesmaids '' The actress was an angsty teen . (CNN) --