The Last Of Us has introduced a new character that some fans don’t seem to be very fond of. The actress has now spoken out vs those critics.
The actress is big and small screen veteran Melanie Lynsky. Melanie debuted as the young killer Pauline Parker in 1994’s Heavenly Creatures, and starred in many theatrical hits, like Ever After, Sweet Home Alabama, Flags of Our Fathers, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and more. She is probably most famous for playing Rose in the TV series Two And A Half Men, and most recently has become a major figure in independent films.
Melanie plays an entirely original character for The Last Of Us TV show who was not in the video games. As covered by Polygon, Kathleen is the leader of the Hunters, after her brother, the previous leader, died. Unlike her brother, Kathleen is particularly ruthless, surprising given her seemingly soft spoken demeanor. You can get a taste of Lynsky’s portrayal of Kathleen in this preview of the latest episode below.
So here’s the surprising thing. Lynsky’s main critic isn’t a fan of the video games or a right wing figure. Instead, 20023 America’s Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry got into it with Lynsky on Twitter.
As reported by Deadline, Curry’s now deleted tweet said: “Her body says life of luxury…not post apocolyptic warlord. Where is linda hamilton when you need her?”
Lynsky replied, first by pointing out that Curry shared a picture from Lynsky’s magazine shoot with InStyle magazine, and then pointing out her character is supposed to be smart, not musclebound. Curry, for her turn, refused to apologize for expressing her opinion, even after being asked to do so by other Twitter users.
This is a slightly more nuanced dispute than what usually comes up around video games and female characters. Still, it is ultimately about expectations for women, their appearances, and their bodies.
With all of this coming to a head, Lynsky shared this thread on Twitter:
“Other than getting to work with creative geniuses who I respect and admire (Neil & Craig) the thing that excited me most about doing #TheLastOfUs is that my casting suggested the possibility of a future in which people start listening to the person with the best ideas.
Not the coolest or the toughest person. The organiser. The person who knows where everything is. The person who is doing the planning. The person who can multitask. The one who’s decisive
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.
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 shit done.
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, fuck that.
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.
I’m so grateful to Craig and Neil for creating a truly new character. Someone I have never seen before. And for trusting me with her. And for letting me be on THE MOST AMAZING SHOW
And I’m also grateful because the love and support I receive from you all is so overwhelming and powerful- I feel like we are a community and I feel very seen and loved. Ok rant over and thank you all so very much 💗.”
Incredibly enough, Kathleen’s character will debut in episode 5, an episode which hasn’t even aired yet. The Last Of Us Episode 5 will debut this Friday, February 10, 2023, 9 PM ET streaming on HBO Max, and will then air on HBO this Sunday, February 12, at 9 PM ET.
