Tom Cruise, the 60-year-old, 5′ 7″ actor with numerous action movie roles to his name and more in development, has never had a week like Melanie Lynskey did recently.
While Cruise and other male actors of his caliber are rarely asked to defend their casting in action roles despite what some might consider physical limitations, Lynskey gave an example of how strength transcends physical appearance when she was forced to defend her casting in HBO’s “The Last of Us” as leader of the revolutionary movement Kathleen Coghlan.
She also did it for anyone who is considered weak because of their looks rather than their inner strength, which comes from within. She didn’t just do it for other ladies. Do you see what kind of insight a life without living fully in your thoughts can bring?
Ever since Lynskey was chosen for the series adaptation of the well-known video game of the same name, fanboys and other like-minded critics have expressed their views on Reddit and elsewhere.
The biggest and most surprisingly unnecessary criticism, however, came from model Adrianne Curry, who commented on a photograph of Lynskey on Wednesday, claiming the actor’s physique made her unsuitable for the role.
“Her appearance suggests a lavish lifestyle, not a post-apocalyptic tyrant. If you need Linda Hamilton, where is she? Curry commented on the image, which came from an unrelated cover photo for an InStyle magazine.
In an initial response that led to a threaded takedown of the “bless your heart” variety, Lynskey retweeted Curry’s post and addressed her directly, saying, “I’m supposed to be SMART, ma’am. I don’t have to be muscular. That’s what accomplices are for.”
Curry deleted Lynskey’s account when a host of people, including her husband Jason Ritter, came to her aid.
Clearly Linda Hamilton, who no doubt had to defend her casting in the “Terminator” role Curry dubbed, would agree with Lynskey’s claim that body shaming is a mean-spirited act that says much more about the shame-er than the disgrace- ee.
Lynskey, who has battled body shaming since her debut role in “Heavenly Creatures” at age 16, made many good points in her response to Curry’s comment
“Aside from the moments after the action is called up, when you feel like you’re actually in someone else’s body, subverting expectations is the most exciting part of my job,” said Lynskey.
The idea that in a post-apocalyptic hellscape with a fungus zombie, the person with the biggest muscles should be the one to take charge. The situation Lynskey’s heroine finds herself in in “The Last of Us” is almost as absurd as the idea that men are better problem solvers than women.
Have you ever used Instacart and had a man appear as your client? Even in the best of circumstances, good luck getting that vanilla almond milk; never mind being chased by zombies.
In “The Last of Us”, Season 4, Episode 4, “Please Hold to My Hand”, Lynskey initially appears as Kathleen Coghlan, who has rebelled against the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) after one of their associates killed her brother. had killed.
Coghlan, taking over from her brother, must rely on her cunning and the strength of devoted outlaws who look up to her as a leader.
Establishing her command base in what was once the FEDRA compound, she directs her squad to kill anyone who tries to infiltrate their headquarters or who she believes is withholding information, while focusing on finding a man named Henry, who she thinks is a traitor responsible for her brother’s death.
“Besides getting to work with creative geniuses I respect and admire (Neil & Craig), what excited me most about doing ‘The Last of Us’ is that my casting suggested the possibility of a future where people to the person with the best ideas,” Lynskey said on Twitter in defense of her role.
“Not the coolest or the toughest person. The organizer. The person who knows where everything is. The person who makes the schedule. The person who can multitask. The decisive one.”
The actress went on to say in a later tweet that she made the character “feminine and gentle” on purpose, because those are characteristics that are so often categorized as weak and, in her own words, “f**k that.”
Watching Lynskey in this part brings to mind Clarice Starling, who was played by Jodie Foster in “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Starling also has a delicate femininity that provides a captivating contrast to the male-dominated field in which she excelled as an FBI intern placed before more seasoned male agents to woo cannibalistic killer Hannibal Lecter.
Other trending articles can be found here:
Lecter observes Starling through the openings of his body armor and smells her before telling her, “You use Evian skin cream and occasionally wear L’Air du Temps.” But not today.”
The savvy serial killer she interviewed ended up respecting her more than her superiors, despite her decision to tone down her femininity. That made her realize that it wasn’t necessary.
Another illustration of power coming from within as something to be gained rather than something to work towards.
Lynskey is just one of the large cast of characters in “The Last of Us” representing individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and people of all ethnicities.
Craig Mazin also made other casting choices. This allows viewers to more thoroughly portray a dystopian vision of a life that includes everyone, not just supermodels, as they are in the horrific events depicted on screen.
There were several actresses that Mazin would have cast in the role of Kathleen Coghlan, but he chose the right one. The one who reminded people like Adrianne Curry that the person you hire is often the one you don’t see coming, was the one we needed to get the job done.
