Melanie Lynskey

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Birthday:

16 May 1977, New Plymouth, New Zealand

Birth Name:

Melanie Jayne Lynskey

Height:

170 cm

At 16 years of age, Melanie Lynskey captivated audiences with her explosive debut in Peter Jackson's Academy Award-nominated Heavenly Creatures (1994), achieving worldwide acclaim and a Best Actress prize for her portrayal of an outcast teen whose relationship with her best friend (Kate Winslet) spirals dangerously out of control.Following a three-year hiatus spent studying at university and re-locating from New Zealand to Los Angeles, Lynskey made a welcome return to the silver screen when she was cast opposite Drew Barrymore in EverAfter (1998).Parts in Detroit Rock City (1999), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Snakeskin (2001), Abandon (2002), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Shattered Glass (2003) and Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006) came next.In recent years, Lynskey has worked her scene-stealing magic in a variety of projects, such as Sam Mendes's Away We Go (2009), Best Picture Oscar nominee Up in the Air (2009), Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (2009), Leaves of Grass (2009), Win Win (2011), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012).Prolific supporting roles - opposite the likes of George Clooney, Edward Norton and Matt Damon - aside, central parts in Hello I Must Be Going (2012), Happy Christmas (2014), Goodbye to All That (2014), We'll Never Have Paris (2014), The Intervention (2016) (for which she scooped a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival), Rainbow Time (2016) and I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) have proved that she is also a capable and charismatic leading lady.In addition to an impressive body of film work, Lynskey has appeared regularly on the small screen since her television debut in Stephen King's Rose Red (2002), which was followed by roles in Drive (2007) and Comanche Moon (2008), as well as guest stints on The Shield (2002), The L Word (2004), and House M.D. (2004).However, she's probably best known to TV audiences for her frequent appearances as Rose - Charlie Sheen's delightfully deranged stalker - on the Emmy Award-winning Two and a Half Men (2003), and her portrayal of Michelle Pierson on HBO's Togetherness (2015), for which she received a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Show less «

[on life after Heavenly Creatures (1994)] I think the hardest thing was to go back to school. It's a pretty catty environment at an all-girl...Show more »

[on life after Heavenly Creatures (1994)] I think the hardest thing was to go back to school. It's a pretty catty environment at an all-girls school and things happened. For example, 60 Minutes (1993) came to do a story on me and followed me around for a day. At school you just don't need that. And then I would have to go to New York or Sydney for a week and take time out. And while they were amazing experiences, it was hard because I had these two completely separate lives. I think a lot of people resented that. It put me outside of them a bit. Show less «

I don't think I'll ever be a movie star.

You always see those movies that have amazing casts, and it's funny to be in one of them. It's a list of all these fantastic people--and, oh...Show more »

You always see those movies that have amazing casts, and it's funny to be in one of them. It's a list of all these fantastic people--and, oh, me as well. Show less «

If I ever have time off and don't know what's coming up next, I get really nervous and think, 'Oh well, it's probably over.'

I always thought I'd be in New Zealand doing theater. Everything I've done is greater than my greatest dreams.

[on the success of Two and a Half Men (2003)] It seems funny to me that it's all worked so well. I have so much respect for the people who d...Show more »

[on the success of Two and a Half Men (2003)] It seems funny to me that it's all worked so well. I have so much respect for the people who do this. It's so hard to keep the energy up and to make people laugh. Show less «

[on working with Charlie Sheen] We get on terribly. I can't stand him. No, he's great. He's really quiet and shy and sweet.

[on Charlie Sheen's reaction to her New Zealand accent] He turned around and said, "What's this, uh, voice? What are you doing?" I said, "I'...Show more »

[on Charlie Sheen's reaction to her New Zealand accent] He turned around and said, "What's this, uh, voice? What are you doing?" I said, "I'm just talking." Then he said, "Hmmm. Is that some kind of actor-y thing?" Show less «

[on Rose Red (2002)] I wasn't allowed to do anything quirky, or to have an interesting accent. So the challenge lay in making [the character...Show more »

[on Rose Red (2002)] I wasn't allowed to do anything quirky, or to have an interesting accent. So the challenge lay in making [the character] as interesting as I could without making her unusual. And that was hard! Show less «

The first audition I ever did, the casting director said, "I don't know why you're here. You're never going to work in America. You don't lo...Show more »

The first audition I ever did, the casting director said, "I don't know why you're here. You're never going to work in America. You don't look right. You don't have the right kind of personality. I don't even know if you can do an American accent. Maybe you can try England." Other people were nice, but that's the first thing I ever heard when I came here. It made me more determined. Show less «

[...] in Montreal, this girl came up to me and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Melanie Lynskey?" Some [people] come up an...Show more »

[...] in Montreal, this girl came up to me and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Melanie Lynskey?" Some [people] come up and say that they were in school with me, or that I'm a friend of someone they know. Show less «

I feel so grateful when I see a movie and there's a woman who looks somewhat like me. I'm like, "Thank you, Samantha Morton!" You know, a wo...Show more »

I feel so grateful when I see a movie and there's a woman who looks somewhat like me. I'm like, "Thank you, Samantha Morton!" You know, a woman who feels like a human being. That means so much to me. If I can be that person for someone, that's a much more powerful thing than me trying to starve myself or shrink myself and become something that I'm not. Show less «

I feel like every job I get is kind of a fight. It's jumping through hoops and convincing people I can do it, trying to get people who are f...Show more »

I feel like every job I get is kind of a fight. It's jumping through hoops and convincing people I can do it, trying to get people who are financing things to take the chance on somebody who's not famous. Show less «

[on working with Steven Soderbergh] It was the greatest experience... If Steven called me up tomorrow and said, "Will you come bring Matt Da...Show more »

[on working with Steven Soderbergh] It was the greatest experience... If Steven called me up tomorrow and said, "Will you come bring Matt Damon a cup of tea in this scene?" I would say "Yes, absolutely." Show less «

[on Hello I Must Be Going (2012)] I assumed they were giving [the part] to Michelle Williams or Maggie Gyllenhaal... It felt like such a gif...Show more »

[on Hello I Must Be Going (2012)] I assumed they were giving [the part] to Michelle Williams or Maggie Gyllenhaal... It felt like such a gift. Show less «

The female actors I have been most inspired by are all very sure of who they are as human beings and as artists. They're solid, good, kind p...Show more »

The female actors I have been most inspired by are all very sure of who they are as human beings and as artists. They're solid, good, kind people. They trust their instincts, and are focused on making honest work that moves people. They're kind to the crew, to fellow actors, and to women in general... Even in challenging conditions, they are gracious... The main women who come to mind who have inspired me most having seen them in action are Anjelica Huston, Katrin Cartlidge, Tina Holmes, Jessica Hecht, Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham, Amy Ryan, Catherine O'Hara, and Kathy Najimy. Show less «

The most beautiful people to me are those who seem at peace within themselves and give of themselves generously. Also I think eyeliner is ma...Show more »

The most beautiful people to me are those who seem at peace within themselves and give of themselves generously. Also I think eyeliner is magic. Show less «

[on her ability to perfect an American accent] When I first came [to Los Angeles] I stayed with Joss Whedon and his wife... He had this insa...Show more »

[on her ability to perfect an American accent] When I first came [to Los Angeles] I stayed with Joss Whedon and his wife... He had this insane video collection, and I'd just sit and watch all these films and try to imitate every accent I heard. I remember watching Juliette Lewis and trying to do her white trash accent. I would just talk back to all these movies--they were my dialect coach. Show less «

I know a lot of actors have all these expectations and believe that one thing should lead to another thing and that's probably the right way...Show more »

I know a lot of actors have all these expectations and believe that one thing should lead to another thing and that's probably the right way to build a career. I don't know what's wrong with me--I just don't think like that! Show less «

I like to play the grey areas in life - that's the most uncomfortable place to be. Nobody likes to be in that in-between state where they do...Show more »

I like to play the grey areas in life - that's the most uncomfortable place to be. Nobody likes to be in that in-between state where they don't know what's going to happen. There's a lot of tension in that, and a lot of stuff to play with - where it's uncomfortable and awkward and sad and scary. Show less «

[on the idea of a "perfect role"] I feel grateful to be working... I don't have a dream of playing a one-legged Scottish drug addict.

I want to be like Julianne Moore and get to do things that scare me--and keep on doing them until I'm very old.

[on working with Kate Winslet] She had incredible ambition and drive and such a huge belief in herself. And of course, she should have had t...Show more »

[on working with Kate Winslet] She had incredible ambition and drive and such a huge belief in herself. And of course, she should have had that belief because she's a fucking genius! Show less «

[on Short Cuts (1993)] This movie was a big one for me. I saw it when I was sixteen and [thought] "Yep, that's the dream." I loved the idea ...Show more »

[on Short Cuts (1993)] This movie was a big one for me. I saw it when I was sixteen and [thought] "Yep, that's the dream." I loved the idea of doing a film like that. Still, to this day, this is the movie I most wish I could insert myself into. Show less «

When I was doing The Informant! (2009), Matt Damon said something to me that I really have lived by ever since... "At the end of your career...Show more »

When I was doing The Informant! (2009), Matt Damon said something to me that I really have lived by ever since... "At the end of your career, when someone looks over your filmography, all they remember is if the movie was good or not." They're not saying, "Oh, he got to play that crazy character!" or, "Oh, all those people were in that movie"... so, if you consistently choose good scripts - whether you're in three scenes or every scene - you're going to build a very strong résumé. At the end of your life, you'll be in a lot of movies that you can feel proud of, and it's such a nice feeling to be a part of something that you really believe in. So even if it's just a couple of scenes, if I think the movie is good, I'll do it. Show less «

[on directors] Everybody has a different style. Clint Eastwood is a great, great director - but he barely says anything. The magical thing a...Show more »

[on directors] Everybody has a different style. Clint Eastwood is a great, great director - but he barely says anything. The magical thing about the way he works is that he creates an environment that feels like a church, kind of - it feels so sacred and comfortable - and everybody's just relaxed, doing the best work they can do. It's weird, there's not a lot of talking or communicating... And then there are some directors who talk and talk and talk and talk, like Sam Mendes; you talk about everything and go over everything. So everybody's very different, and I've done movies with first-time directors who are just on it, and amazing. Then, sometimes, I've done movies with people who have directed a few movies, and you're like, "I don't know how to communicate with you; don't know what you're asking me to do right now." It's like a relationship. Show less «

The thing that I really, really don't like is when [a director] is overly specific, when you walk into a rehearsal and someone says: "Now yo...Show more »

The thing that I really, really don't like is when [a director] is overly specific, when you walk into a rehearsal and someone says: "Now you walk over here, and you open the cupboard, and you take this out. Then you stand here and you deliver this line." And they give you line readings. I don't like feeling like somebody doesn't trust me to bring what I'm going to bring to it... I get really claustrophobic when somebody's trying to control it, because then I'm like, "Why? You should have gotten another actor!" Show less «

I was really shy as a child. I walked around with a constant fear that I'd say something stupid and be laughed at, or that people were looki...Show more »

I was really shy as a child. I walked around with a constant fear that I'd say something stupid and be laughed at, or that people were looking at me and thinking I wasn't pretty enough, interesting enough, smart enough. When I discovered acting, I felt an immense freedom. I felt like I could explore different aspects of myself without fear of judgement. I was able to be brave in a way that was really hard for me in real life. Show less «