Melanie Lynskey doesn’t have time for body shaming — of any kind!
If you’ve been keeping up with HBO’s latest smash hit The Last of Us, you’ll know that the Two and a Half Men star made her series debut during last Sunday’s episode. The 45-year-old plays Kathleen, an original character specifically developed for the video game adaptation. Her character leads a revolutionary group that overthrew what government was left in the Kansas City quarantine zone.
However, not just everyone was totally sold on her casting…
Related: Melanie Pays Tribute To Two & A Half Men’s Conchata Ferrell
In a since-deleted tweet, America’s Next Top Model alum Adrianne Curry sarcastically slammed the idea someone who looked like the Yellowjackets star could ever be in charge in the post-apocalypse:
“Watching short, midwestern, soft voiced soccer moms be in charge of post-apocalyptic warlord men is SO what would happen LOL #TheLastOfUs”
When she got some pushback from fans, she doubled down, invoking Linda Hamilton‘s famously ripped bod in Terminator 2:
“her body says life of luxury not post apocolyptic [sic] warlord. where is linda hamilton when you need her?”
She even uploaded a photo of Lynskey in a sparkly dress, writing:
“That is an hourglass shape of a woman who is not toiling over heavy burdens and work. Curvy and soft, as men prefer … but not someone I’d hire to help me move. She also couldn’t fight off a flea to save her life. yes, 5 foot tall … soft spoken, not athletic Midwest moms will DEF be in charge of 6’6 armed warlords after SOCIETAL COLLAPSE it will be KILLER. After societies collapse …. no warlord is taking orders from a girl. She will be pillaged and raped with the rest of em. Feminism dies when society does.”
LOLz WHAT?! What show is she watching?? This isn’t Mad Max with its musclebound leather daddies riding motorcycles, it’s the USA just a couple years removed from devastation. Even though Kathleen’s crew kill and steal, they’re clearly still trying to preserve some semblance of society. And that means following orders from the person who got them there.
Unfortunately Melanie saw the critique — and the Don’t Look Up actress wasn’t overly impressed with the former model’s take. She uploaded a screenshot of the tweet, writing:
“Firstly- this is a photo from my cover shoot for InStyle magazine, not a still from HBO’s The Last Of Us. And I’m playing a person who meticulously planned & executed an overthrow of FEDRA. I am supposed to be SMART, ma’am. I don’t need to be muscly. That’s what henchmen are for”
See (below):
Firstly- this is a photo from my cover shoot for InStyle magazine, not a still from HBO’s The Last Of Us. And I’m playing a person who meticulously planned & executed an overthrow of FEDRA. I am supposed to be SMART, ma’am. I don’t need to be muscly. That’s what henchmen are for pic.twitter.com/YwkmkwUdOm
— Melanie Lynskey (@melanielynskey) February 8, 2023
Then, in a series of follow-up tweets, the actress continued to defend her character choices, explaining:
“I wanted her to look like she should have a notepad on her at all times. I wanted her to be feminine, and soft-voiced, and all the things that we’ve been told are ‘weak.’ Because honestly, f**k that.”
Responding to expected criticism, she explained how going against expectations was actually a good thing:
“I understand that some people are mad that I’m not the typical casting for this role. That’s thrilling to me. Other than the moments after action is called, when you feel like you’re actually in someone else’s body, the most exciting part of my job is subverting expectations”
She pointed out how this whole criticism just feeds into sexist tropes:
“Women, and especially women in leadership positions, are scrutinized incessantly. Her voice is too shrill. Her voice is too quiet. She pays too much attention to how she looks. She doesn’t pay enough attention to how she looks. She’s too angry. She’s not angry enough.”
Yeah… Society doesn’t have to die for feminism to be threatened. She continued:
“I was excited at the idea of playing a woman who had, in a desperate and tragic time, jumped into a role she had never planned on having and nobody else had planned on her having, and then she actually got s**t done”
She then concluded by thanking fans for their “overwhelming and powerful” amount of “love and support.” See her full thread (below):
I understand that some people are mad that I’m not the typical casting for this role. That’s thrilling to me. Other than the moments after action is called, when you feel like you’re actually in someone else’s body, the most exciting part of my job is subverting expectations
— Melanie Lynskey (@melanielynskey) February 8, 2023
Then, in a follow-up to THAT, Curry chimed back in, voicing frustration over the whole exchange, noting it had nothing to do with Lynskey as a person but just the character:
“i am so over everything anymore. actors cant allow people to not like their characters? I am DONE. we are not the things we pretend we are on a set or stage. its ok if someone doesnt like em. it isnt personal in the slightest”
i am so over everything anymore. actors cant allow people to not like their characters? I am DONE.
we are not the things we pretend we are on a set or stage. its ok if someone doesnt like em. it isnt personal in the slightest
— Adrianne Curry (@AdrianneCurry) February 8, 2023
Um… We’re not even sure what straw man she’s trying to find to swing at now. Melanie’s response was absolutely a counter to Adrianne’s exact argument. It’s all about what kind of person would end up in a leadership position. It had nothing to do with whether the character was “likable.” (Spoiler alert, we’re pretty sure Kathleen isn’t supposed to be likable — she overthrew the government out of revenge just to find herself in over her head and ordering her people to do things just as bad as those that came before. Kind of a Madame Defarge vibe.)
In any case the ANTM winner then kept digging herself into a deeper hole, attempting to refute claims of body shaming:
“[Lynskey] cropped out what I said about her perfect hour glass frame being the most desirable to men. Seems quite manipulative. Also, she is NOT her character”
She cropped out what I said about her perfect hour glass frame being the most desirable to men.
Seems quite manipulative
Also, she is NOT her character
— Adrianne Curry (@AdrianneCurry) February 8, 2023
Yeah, because claiming that another woman’s body is the “desirable” to the male gaze but useless otherwise is supposed to be a compliment?
Melanie’s husband, actor Jason Ritter, also jumped into the fray Wednesday night, tweeting:
“You… you could have just… not tweeted it. But you did, and people are upset with what you said. Whatever happens now, DO NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!! Dig your heels in deeper, and double down! BECOME the victim! You can do this!! I believe in you!!”
Ha!
Related: Nicola Coughlan Asks Fans To Keep Opinions About Her Body To Themselves!
This, of course, was sadly not the first time Lynskey faced criticism regarding her physical appearance, as she revealed back in January 2022 a time when a production company employee criticized her weight, asking:
“What do you plan to do? I’m sure the producers will get you a trainer. They’d love to help you with this.”
She added that viewers of her Showtime series Yellowjackets continued the body shaming online, questioning the believability of a plot line of hers in which she has an affair with a younger man.
Luckily, her co-stars all rallied behind her in support. However, seven months later in August 2022, the actress revealed she’d actually been experiencing body shaming for YEARS, dating all the way back to her 2000 film, Coyote Ugly. She explained that all the female actresses were put on a strict “regimen,” which severely restricted their diets. She explained:
“I was already starving myself and as thin as I could possibly be for this body, and I was still a [size] four.”
Wow… That’s Hollywood for ya — extreme toxicity and all. We certainly loved Lynskey’s addition to TLOU, and look forward to seeing her in future episodes!
What do YOU think of everything, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
[Images via Adrianne Curry/Instagram, HBO/YouTube, & MEGA/WENN]
Related Posts
