Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
What’s that sound approaching from the distance? Oh, it’s a giant shoutout to our next Woman Crush Wednesday! This week’s is one of my favorites, so let’s not waste any time and get right to the celebrating.
Melanie Lynskey is one of the most prolific working actresses today. She’s starred in delightful indies, played a huge role in one of the biggest network sitcoms of all time, and everything in between. There’s a reason this lady stays busy: she’s as lovely as she is talented. And that’s a whole lot.
WHO’S THAT GAL: Melanie Lynskey
WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Lynskey is as sweet as the green fruit she is nicknamed after. That’s right, she is indeed a kiwi, hailing from New Zealand, a fact many people don’t realize due to the perfect American accent she uses for the majority of the characters she portrays. Her extensive career not only guarantees you’ve seen her in many different projects, but that she’s probably in several of your favorites, too. Her presence in any cast automatically brings credibility to a project because more often than not, if she’s a part of something, it’s going to be pretty damn enjoyable. At the very least, you’re going to feel; from sad to awkward to joyful, Lynskey has run the entire spectrum in her career, continuously upping her game, but always remaining at the top of her class. She easily pivots between supporting and starring roles, recognizing that being a part of an interesting story remains paramount.
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Lynskey kicked off her career with a pretty epic move, starring in Peter Jackson’s 1994 film Heavenly Creatures with Kate Winslet. Not to shabby for a noob! She followed that up with Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Detroit Rock City and But I’m a Cheerleader. Lynskey also appeared as Gloria, best friend to Piper Perabo’s Violet, in Coyote Ugly, but it was her role in Sweet Home Alabama that became an iconic cinematic moment the minute that film hit theaters. Yes, she is Lurlynn, old pal of Reese Witherspoon’s Melanie, who brought her baby…to the bar. And left 3 more at home! You know you think of her every time you see a toddler at happy hour.
Lynskey brought her charm to the screen in Away We Go, Up In The Air as Danny McBride’s wife, The Informant! alongside Matt Damon, and Win Win with Paul Giamatti. Now, I’d like to discuss a film that she was in called Hello I Must Be Going. In a resume stacked with fantastic performances, this one stands out as one of the best. She was raw and relatable and sexy in this indie about a woman who hooks up with a younger man (Christopher Abbott, who is also fantastic) during a transitional period in her life. It’s the perfect solution to any life crisis and one of my favorites that I reference all the time, but she absolutely shines in it and everyone should watch it many times. The Woman Crush is real, people!
Lynsky was also great in Seeking a Friend for the End of The World, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and They Came Together. She’s teamed with director Joe Swanberg for Happy Christmas as well as Digging for Fire, and gave a memorable performance in Goodbye to All That.
OH! And by the way, she starred in two huge TV shows along the way. She played Rose, Charlie’s stalker, in Two and a Half Men, and Michelle in the Duplass brothers’ HBO show, Togetherness, a performance that you know made you cry at least once.
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: This week, Lynskey reteams with her But I’m a Cheerleader costars Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall in The Intervention. The film drew a lot of buzz at the Sundance earlier this year, partly because of its fantastic cast which also includes Alia Shawkat, Ben Schwartz, Jason Ritter, Vincent Piazza, and Cobie Smulders. She will also be in Life at These Speeds with Tim Roth and Billy Cruddup, due out later this year, as well as The Changeover, coming in 2017. And to hold you over until the next one, there’s always your favorite past Melanie Lynskey movie available to stream. Because we’ve all got at least one!
