Melanie Lynskey Reflects on Losing Friendship With Kate Winslet

The 'Yellowjackets' star said the experience was 'so painful.'

Melanie Lynskey got candid while speaking about growing apart from once close friend Kate Winslet.

Lynskey got close to Winslet when they starred in the 1994 film Heavenly Creatures, but their dynamic changed as the Titanic star's career advanced. While appearing on the April 20 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Lynskey opened up about why their friendship fell apart.

"When I lost touch with Kate, it was more heartbreaking than some breakups that I've had," the Yellowjackets star admitted to host Josh Horowitz. "It was so painful because of…it wasn't like anything happened, it's just that she became a gigantic international movie star and she didn't have a lot of time."

Lynskey continued, "Sometimes she'd be in Los Angeles and not have time [to catch up] when I was living here. Then, she'd be here and I wouldn't hear from her. It sort of gradually happened and [friendships ending] happens in relationships. People kind of drift apart."

The actress said that the experience of losing that friendship was "so painful."

She also mentioned that a similar experience happened with another actress (whom she doesn't name). Lynskey recalled that after wrapping a production, she told the co-star that she was happy to have met her and wanted to keep in touch, but the actress in question responded with, "I'm not friends with actors. I don't stay friends with actors."

Despite her friendship with Winslet not lasting into adulthood, Lynskey still spoke highly of her Heavenly Creatures co-star, even sympathizing with the Oscar winner over the mistreatment she experienced at the hands of the media.

"I remember at the time being so furious on her behalf, especially because [I was thinking] Kate Winslet is now in the world," she noted. "Kate Winslet is doing movies. And you're getting to witness that talent."

She added, "This is like a life-changing actor. This is like an actor that comes along once in a generation. Just focus on that."

Lynskey has made her own stamp in Hollywood, however. Most recently, she's received critical acclaim for her role as adult Shauna in the Showtime series Yellowjackets. It earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2022. The show's second season premiered on March 26.