Animal Oscar Contenders: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

In Marielle Heller’s biopic, Melissa McCarthy turns in a tour de force of notorious author turned forger Lee Israel. But McCarthy’s performance would not be complete without her adoration for a certain black-and-white feline: Jersey, a 12-year-old cat whom the character considers her only family in lonely New York City. (Jersey is played by a feline whose real name is Towne.)

Unlike her onscreen counterpart, McCarthy owns dogs in real life, but she admits that once upon a time she was “a rather extreme cat owner.”

Indeed, the actress grew up on a farm housing anywhere between 20 and 30 cats at a time, “which I know sounds insane,” she tells THR.

If someone said, “We have a litter and don’t know where they can go,” McCarthy’s family would take them in. But that policy came with one catch —­ the cats always stayed outside.

“They were not in the house. We’re not that crazy,” she says with a laugh.

The Golden Globe nominee recalls how when friends would drop her off and see her home for the first time, they would “intensely” freak out at the sight of numerous cats running up to the car.

“It would look like a horror movie! We’d drive down this craphole country road, into our driveway, and out would come 30 cats. Parents who never swore would suddenly be like, ‘Holy shit!’ They were just terrified.”