The Last of Us star Melanie Lynskey shuts down criticism of her body in the show: 'I don't need to be muscly'

Melanie Lynskey has faced public criticism on social media over her physical appearance in HBO's The Last of Us, and she is shutting it down fast.

Lynskey plays Kathleen, the leader of a revolutionary movement in post-apocalyptic Kansas City who overthrows the military operation that once ruled them with an iron fist. The actress described her character as a war criminal in an interview with EW — someone thrust into a leadership role she wasn't expecting.

Adrianne Curry, the winner of America's Next Top Model season 1, posted a tweet in response to a recent photo shoot of Lynskey, connecting it to the acclaimed series.

"Her body says life of luxury… not post apocolyptic [sic] warlord," Curry wrote. "Where is Linda Hamilton when you need her?"

Liane Hentscher/HBO Melanie Lynskey in 'The Last of Us'

Lynskey responded on Twitter, noting that the image Curry included was from her cover shoot for InStyle magazine and not a still of her character in The Last of Us. "I'm playing a person who meticulously planned & executed an overthrow of FEDRA," Lynskey wrote, referring to the name of the military presence on the show. "I am supposed to be SMART, ma'am. I don't need to be muscly. That's what henchmen are for."

The New Zealand–born actress followed up with a lengthier response, as Curry wasn't the first to comment on her appearance in the context of the series.

"Other than getting to work with creative geniuses who I respect and admire [executive producers Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin], 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," Lynskey wrote in a series of tweets. "Not the coolest or the toughest person. The organizer. The person who knows where everything is. The person who is doing the planning. The person who can multitask. The one who's decisive."

She continued, "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."

In terms of her physical appearance, the actress added that she wanted Kathleen "to look like she should have a notepad on her at all times."

Said Lynskey, "I wanted her to be feminine, and soft-voiced, and all the things that we've been told are 'weak.' Because honestly, f--- that."

While she understands she's not the "typical casting" for the role, she said she was attracted to it for a different reason. "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," she wrote.

Actor Jason Ritter, Lynskey's husband, also came to her defense on Twitter. "You… you could have just… not tweeted it," he wrote to Curry. "But you did, and people are upset with what you said. Whatever happens now, DO NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!! Dig your heels in deeper, and double down! BECOME the victim! You can do this!! I believe in you!!"

Curry has since responded, saying, "Next up, Jason Mamoa will find my criticism of his portrayal of AQUAMAN and will put me in my place with a strongly worded tweet on why he IS the perfect Arthur Curry."

Kathleen is a character created specifically for the new adaptation of The Last of Us, though she's rooted in elements from the video games on which the show is based.

[Note: Mild spoilers from The Last of Us episode 4 ahead.] Kathleen's brother was the previous leader of this Kansas City movement, but he was killed by soldiers after a man named Henry (Lamar Johnson) gave information to FEDRA. Now that she has become the leader, she's on a warpath.

"The thing I found very interesting about her is, when she did step into the role, she didn't have a lot of guilt about doing bad things, whereas her brother did," Lynskey previously explained to EW. "She found out that she was quite heartless, and so she was able to be pretty effective in a way that he maybe wasn't because she didn't care about people. That's a very interesting dynamic."

Lynskey's arc as Kathleen will continue in episode 5, which arrives on HBO Max this Friday night instead of Sunday night to avoid competing with the Super Bowl. The episode will also air during its regular time slot this Sunday on HBO.

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