Melanie Lynskey opens up about her leading role in "Yellowjackets" Season 2
the hit show time series. We all love this show here. Yellow Jackets is returning for its highly anticipated second season. The first episode is available to stream on Friday. The show is about a high school soccer team struggle to stay alive after their plane crashes in a remote forest and what happens to the traumatized survivors 25 years later. Star Melanie Linsky earned an Army medal in the first season of the show. After decades of character work, Linsky was happy to say as top billing in two shows this year, Christina Rafini met up with her for some axe throwing.
Yep, axe throwing. Defined out how she's embracing her moment is a main character. All right, ready for this? Yes, I think so. Melanie Linsky is too nice for axe throwing. Don't think about it. I am afraid of the axe. And despite playing two of the best players in the show, she might also be too nice for Hollywood.
Did you want to be famous? No, no, and I still very much don't. I really like, I'm shy. And so it's it's hard for me to feel like someone's looking at me. I always assume my dress is tucked into my andes or something. For years, Linsky was also told she was just too normal, consistently cast in character roles. And so I'm not afraid of the best friend in Coyote Ugly, the definitely not ugly stepsister and ever after, the kooky girl next door in two and a half men. Where does she get off things so forward? I've been a working actor for 30 years and to suddenly have a different level of success, it's just, I didn't anticipate it.
That's because Linsky is finally having her leading lady moment. What is it about you that you think is relatable? I think I'm just normal. Like I think people are like, hang on a minute. She looks like me. I think it's refreshing. I think it's nice for people to say. And people are suddenly seeing her everywhere, including as a ruthless rebel leader in HBO's dystopian drama, The Last of Us.
Find who did this? Find every collaborator and kill them all. The show's creator said he wanted her character to evoke a kindergarten teacher in charge of the French Revolution. You can always do like a post-apocalyptic tough lady and that's a great thing. But isn't it nice to be surprised and see something a bit different? It ends the way it ends. In addition to zombies, Linsky also had to battle Twitter trolls, who said her curves didn't fit the apocalypse aesthetic. Some people get very reactive about, you know, seeing, I think also because I don't play the typical roles that somebody who's not thin plays. Born in New Zealand, Linsky got her start at age 15, opposite Kate Winslet in director Peter Jackson's film, Heavenly Creatures.
Ow! Ow! But after her breakout role, she didn't quite break through. I tried to be as thin as I could. I wore a lot of makeup all the time. I was like, is this it? Is this it? And I kept getting reinforced with the idea, like, no, that's not quite it. You're still not quite what we're looking for. At a certain point I was like, okay, so I give up. So, I'm me.
Take it early 15. Yeah. That authenticity, she says, got noticed and got her bigger parts, including a lead on the hit show Yellow Jackets. I know about the black nail, okay, Adam? I've always been resistant to being like the chubby friend or this or that. Like, I just, I've synoded things like that. And I waited until I could be, you know, this person on Yellow Jackets who has two love interests. I like this nine.
And they're hot. They are. And very talented actors and very kind people. Yes, yes, of course. Yes. In the acclaimed series from Showtime, a division of Paramount, Linsky plays a murderous survivor of a mysterious plane crash that traps a high school soccer team in the wilderness. Stay fresh.
Stay fresh. I didn't murder Adam. The ensemble drama is led by actresses all in their 40s, and it also landed Linsky her first ever Emmy nomination. I think the thing that made me want to take the part, she doesn't put a lot of stock in anyone else's opinion. And for me, I feel sort of paralyzed by that sometimes. And I want to know what that feels like to be that person. You haven't done this before? No, have you done this before? No.
So to continue her tough girl character work, we took Linsky to Lumberjack's axe throwing in Los Angeles. Although neither of us will be getting offered the role of Huntsman anytime soon. I don't have a lot of confidence in our survival skills right now. No, is this part of survival skills? I don't know. Linsky is a survivor, and even if it takes a bit longer than expected, eventually she'll hit her mark. There we go. Yeah! All right.
It happened. It happened. For CBS Mornings, Christina Rafini, Los Angeles. Wow, that Melanie is a good sport too to go to axe throwing. Really axe throwing? And her character, Shawna, on Yellowjackets is one of the most compelling characters and one of the most compelling shows on TV. And she was so good in Two and a Half Man. I know.
Oh, she's great. You can watch the second season of Yellowjackets starting this Friday on Showtime. Showtime, as you know, is a division of Paramount. We'll be right back.
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