Melissa McCarthy Didn't Have 'Interest' in Playing JonBenét Ramsey's Mom Patsy in New Series: 'I Didn't Think It Was Any of My Business'

Melissa McCarthy is taking on one of the most controversial cases in American true crime history in Netflix's upcoming series "The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey."

But before the actress agreed to portray JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey, she admitted she initially wanted nothing to do with the role.

The series, premiering December 10, revisits the 1996 killing of 6-year-old JonBenét, who was found dead inside her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on Christmas night.

Her death sparked intense media scrutiny, with JonBenét's parents, John and Patsy, and her 9-year-old brother, Burke, all becoming subjects of suspicion despite the case remaining unsolved.

"I said, 'Oh, no. I have no interest in that. I didn't think it was any of my business to do, I guess?'" Melissa told Variety.

However, the actress ultimately decided to explore the project after being approached about it.

"But I spent a lot of years not working, and somebody took the time to ask me — I should take the time to look into it," she said.

The deeper Melissa went into the story, the more her perspective changed.

"The more I started to, I was really floored by the lack of humanity that had been shown to that family,” the Gilmore Girls actress said.

She also looked back at her own reaction to the case when it dominated headlines in the 1990s.

Melissa recalled seeing a tabloid featuring JonBenét and wondering, "How could you dress a little girl like that?"

"I had never put it together that I was a part of [judging them]," she shared. "I went willingly. And that's on me."

Melissa said researching the case gave her a surprising connection to Patsy.

"This might sound nuts: I'm very fond of Patsy," she revealed. "I have so much compassion for them, what they went through, and go through currently."

Rather than presenting another definitive answer to the mystery, Melissa explained what the series aims to show.

"This is not a whodunit. It's not like, 'Ooh, there's a big reveal!'" she explained. "This is a character study of everyone who was caught in the undertow, and a look at all of us — as a civilization, really."

Taking on Patsy also meant portraying devastating grief, something Melissa said made production especially difficult.

"That set was so serious, and some of those days were so hard," she expressed.

"We had a psychologist on set at all times," the actress said. "And it was needed sometimes, especially during some of the really intense scenes. It would take people down, and they'd just need a minute."

Ultimately, Melissa said she felt compelled to defend the woman she was portraying.

"I felt obligated to stand up for her, which — maybe it's none of my d--- business, but I feel protective of her," she detailed. "It makes you get up and go to work every day and try to give it your all."