At a press conference for her upcoming comedy, “The Boss,” actress Melissa McCarthy emphasized the need for more female filmmakers in Hollywood.

“I think it’s incredibly important,” she said. “If no one behind the camera, no one running it can really speak to, ‘that’s not what a woman would say,’ or ‘that doesn’t feel right,’ you don’t have that whole point of view. You’re just limiting the scope. You’re limiting your credibility.”

McCarthy, who co-starred in “Gilmore Girls” before making the switch to films, has made a successful career appearing in female-centric box office hits. She became a household name after co-starring in the hilarious “Bridesmaids.” She and Sandra Bullock teamed up for the lady-cop comedy “The Heat,” and last year she starred in the comedy caper “Spy.” In “The Boss,” which opens April 7, she plays a business mogul recently released from prison. McCarthy co-wrote the script.

“I just think any time you mix it up, the world gets more interesting,” she explained. “You want to hear from somebody who’s a mom, somebody who’s 18 … if I get a group of people to listen to something and watch something, I certainly don’t want every single person to be the same exact type of person. You learn nothing from it because everybody has the same point of reference.”

McCarthy has never worked with a woman director for the big screen, so it’s heartening to hear her acknowledge the lack of opportunities given to female filmmakers and the effect this has on the films we see.

[via People]