Melissa McCarthy is known to frequently collaborate with her husband Ben Falcone, but their daughter Vivian Falcone is also featured in two of their movies, Thunder Force and The Boss. McCarthy and Falcone married in 2005, long before McCarthy found fame as one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed comedic actors. However, Falcone appeared in a number of her movies, including McCarthy’s Oscar-nominated breakout role in Bridesmaids. However, aside from acting together on occasion, Falcone has directed McCarthy in several movies, turning some into family affairs.

To date, McCarthy and Falcone have made five movies together, with McCarthy as the star and Falcone as the director. While none of the movies have been critical successes for the duo, they clearly enjoy working together and have invited their daughter Vivian Falcone to appear in some of their projects. In both Thunder Force and The Boss, Vivian Falcone plays a much younger version of Melissa McCarthy’s respective character. While Viviane has largely stayed out of the spotlight, it is fun to see her involved with so much of her parents’ work.

Vivian Falcone Plays A Young Version Of Melissa McCarthy’s Character In Thunder Force

Falcone Appears In A Flashback

Joining the cast of Thunder Force, Vivian Falcone plays a young Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) alongside Bria D. Singleton, who in turn plays young Emily (Octavia Spencer) in a flashback sequence. When a boy named Wayne bullies Emily for being smart in class, Lydia cleverly defends Emily by using the ongoing grammar lesson to humiliate Wayne. Though this also earns Lydia some detention time, it shows that this rough-around-the-edges kid who eventually becomes the superhero known as The Hammer is actually smarter than she seems.

During recess, Wayne continues to bully Emily, and when Lydia walks over to stop him, Wayne threatens Lydia by telling her “don’t think I won’t hit a girl, Lydia.” Immediately, Lydia punches Wayne’s face, knocking him down. As Lydia then tells the boy, “don’t think a girl won’t hit you, Wayne.” In a great impression of her comedic mother, Vivian Falcone’s young Lydia then picks up a stick to threaten Wayne, forcing him to climb inside a dumpster, because “that’s where the garbage goes.”

These are the roots of Lydia and Emily’s long relationship, scenes gracefully carried by the charismatic performance of Vivian Falcone, who is clearly beginning to develop a strong onscreen presence.

Vivian Falcone’s Role In The Boss Explained

Falcone Made Her Debut In The 2016 Movie

Though Thunder Force features Vivian Falcone more prominently, her first onscreen role was in The Boss. While The Boss casts Vivian in a much more minor role, she is one of the first actors to appear. The Boss begins with a flashback to 1975 to reveal how, as a child, Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) kept getting returned to the orphanage from where she was adopted. Five years later, during the second time Michelle is returned, she is played by Vivian Falcone; the only time Vivian appears onscreen.

While her return to the big screen hasn’t been announced, following Thunder Force, Vivian Falcone could appear next in Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone’s next collaboration. It was announced in 2017 that they would be making the holiday comedy Margie Claus about Santa Claus’ wife trying to save Christmas from disaster after her beloved husband goes missing. However, the movie was initially meant to open in 2019 but there has been no word on the project in several years.

Vivian & Her Sister Have Been On Their Parents’ Podcast

Georgette Falcone Also Joined The Project

While Thunder Force marks the last collaboration to date between Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, they have still been working together on new stories, and have continued to get their children involved. In October 2024, McCarthy and Falcone launched their own podcast with Hildy the Barback and the Lake of Fire. The podcast is a fantasy adventure with a comedic twist that follows a barback named Hildy who must set out on a quest to stop the forces of evil and become the hero she never thought she could be.

The podcast features roles from Oscar nominee Glenn Close and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, as well as McCarthy and Falcone’s two daughters. While Viviane Falcone has appeared on screen before, she is joined by her younger sister Georgette Falcone in providing voices for the podcast. Though the family has kept their lives quite private over the years, they continue to find ways to collaborate on their projects together.