Melanie Lynskey

Early life

Lynskey was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, to Kay Lynskey, a former nurse (now a real estate agent), and Tim Lynskey, an orthopedic surgeon. She is the oldest of five children, and has three brothers and one sister. Her surname is Irish.

During her childhood, Lynskey's family relocated to England for one year before returning to New Zealand. She attended New Plymouth Girls' High School, where she was involved in the drama department and school plays. After high school, Lynskey studied at Victoria University of Wellington.

Career

Lynskey made her feature film debut at age 16, starring in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, a psychological drama based on the notorious Parker–Hulme murder case. She auditioned for the role when a casting director visited her high school. The film, which co-starred Kate Winslet, was released to favorable reviews in 1994 and won Jackson a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly described Lynskey as "extraordinary". For her portrayal of Pauline Parker, she was named Best Actress at the 1995 New Zealand Film and Television Awards.

After a two-year hiatus, Lynskey returned to acting in 1997 with a role in the independent feature Foreign Correspondents, which gained attention for being the first film in history to use crowdfunding. The following year, she broke into the mainstream when she appeared as Drew Barrymore's "nice" stepsister in Ever After, a re-imagining of the Cinderella story.

In 1999, she appeared in several films, including Detroit Rock City, The Cherry Orchard, Shooters, and But I'm a Cheerleader, which often tops "best of" lists for lesbian-themed movies. She then played a key role in the romantic comedy Coyote Ugly (2000), and received her second nomination for Best Actress at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards for her performance in Snakeskin (2001).

In 2002, Lynskey experienced her first major box office success when she played the childhood best friend of Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama, which broke records during its opening weekend in North America. She then appeared opposite Katie Holmes in Abandon, and made her television debut in Rose Red, a miniseries penned by Stephen King.

In 2003, Lynskey played a writer for The New Republic in Shattered Glass, a film based on the exploits of former journalist Stephen Glass. Jeff Otto of IGN called it "a tension-filled drama with great performances". Later that year, she landed the part of Rose, Charlie Harper's deranged but charming neighbor, on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.

Despite leaving the main cast in 2005 to concentrate on film work, Lynskey continued to make guest appearances on Two and a Half Men up until its final episode, which aired in February 2015.

In 2006, she played the wife of Rene Gagnon in Clint Eastwood's World War II-set Flags of Our Fathers. Next, she appeared as a principal character on the FOX series Drive (2007), co-starred in the western miniseries Comanche Moon (2008), and returned to New Zealand to star in Show of Hands, which earned Lynskey her third Best Actress nomination at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards.

In 2009, Lynskey garnered praise for her performance in Away We Go, directed by Sam Mendes, playing a seemingly happy adoptive parent who hides a secret heartache. Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe called it "the best performance in the movie". She then played the female lead – opposite Matt Damon – in Steven Soderbergh's The Informant!, based on the true story of FBI whistleblower Mark Whitacre. Soderbergh told The Los Angeles Times: "She is so watchable. You never quite know what you're going to get, you just know it's going to be good. Her rhythms are really unusual, like her cadence and her reaction times to things, and the way she sort of lays out a sentence. It's just really, really interesting". Lynskey counts her time working on The Informant! as one of her favorite experiences.

Also in 2009, Lynskey appeared as Edward Norton's pregnant fiancée in Leaves of Grass, and in Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, where she played the sister of George Clooney. The latter film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In October that year, Lynskey was presented with a Spotlight Award by the Hollywood Film Festival.

In 2011, she co-starred opposite Paul Giamatti in Win Win, gaining strong reviews for her portrayal of a recovering drug addict. The following year, Lynskey appeared in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World with Steve Carell, and had a key role in the film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, playing the mentally disturbed Aunt Helen.

The independent drama Hello I Must Be Going, in which she portrayed Amy, a dispirited 30-something who finds herself having to move back in with her parents, was particularly well received by critics. It was a landmark film for Lynskey because, for the first time in her career, she appeared in every single scene. Speaking of his decision to cast Lynskey, director Todd Louiso said: "I knew if I cast her, the film had the potential to resonate on a thousand different levels". Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times wrote: "If you know the name Melanie Lynskey, you're already planning to see her in Hello I Must Be Going. If you don't, this film will have you making up for lost time. That's how good an actress she is". The performance earned her a nomination for Breakthrough Actor at the 2012 Gotham Awards.

In 2014, Lynskey's portrayal of an aspiring novelist in Happy Christmas was praised by critics. The film, which co-starred Anna Kendrick, drew attention for being almost entirely improvised. Stephen Holden of The New York Times commented: "The performances in Happy Christmas are so natural that the actors melt into their characters". The same year, she appeared with Amy Poehler in David Wain's romantic comedy spoof, They Came Together, and played the female leads in Goodbye to All That, and We'll Never Have Paris. She was also the voice of Beatrice, an ill-tempered bluebird, in the animated miniseries Over the Garden Wall. The series collected three Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program. In April 2014, Lynskey was named an 'Emerging Master' by the RiverRun International Film Festival.

From 2015 to 2016, Lynskey played Michelle Pierson on the HBO series Togetherness, a show created, written and directed by brothers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. Togetherness ran for two seasons and received positive reviews from critics. Robert Lloyd of The Los Angeles Times wrote: "[Lynskey] is all deep waters and live wires; soft and steely, trying on new personas for size, her Michelle becomes the series' gravitational center. You can feel her feeling". In May 2015, Lynskey was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

For her role in The Intervention (2016), Lynskey received the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Individual Performance at the Sundance Film Festival. Ethan Anderton of Slashfilm commented: "Lynskey is the standout, delivering a performance that is genuine, funny and touching all at the same time". The film was the directional debut of Clea DuVall, who wrote the character of Annie, an uptight alcoholic, specifically for Lynskey. Also that year, she starred in the independent features Rainbow Time, Little Boxes, and The Great & The Small.

In 2017, Lynskey received praise for her portrayal of Ruth, a downtrodden vigilante, in the comedic thriller I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The performance was described as her "best work yet" by Variety. The film, which also stars Elijah Wood, was awarded the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The film's director, Macon Blair, wrote the character of Ruth with Lynskey in mind.

In June 2017, it was announced that Lynskey will play the female lead, a character called Molly Strand, on Hulu's upcoming psychological horror series Castle Rock. Set in the Stephen King multiverse, the show is named after the fictional town that features in many of King's works.

Acting Style and Roles

Lynskey describes herself as a character actress.

Asked by an interviewer in 2012 how she felt about typically being cast – up to that point – as a supporting player rather than a lead, Lynskey said it was something she had thought about a lot, and that the "meaty" parts are written for men, or Meryl Streep. "For a while I was only being sent fat-girl parts", she said. "Seriously? Sometimes I feel like I’m making some kind of radical statement because I’m a size 6".

She has subsequently taken on leading roles in a variety of independent films, and has been labelled an "indie queen".

Other projects

In 2015, Lynskey featured in the music video for the song "Waiting on Love", by Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers.

Personal life

Lynskey has been a vegetarian since age 10.

In 2001, she met American actor Jimmi Simpson during the filming of Rose Red, in which they both appeared. They became engaged in 2005 and married on 14 April 2007, in a chapel on Lake Hayes, near Queenstown, New Zealand. Lynskey filed for divorce from Simpson on 25 September 2012, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on 23 May 2014. In February 2017, she became engaged to actor Jason Ritter after four years of dating.

Lynskey resides in Los Angeles. She is best friends with her But I'm a Cheerleader co-star Clea DuVall. She has misophonia.