M
elanie Lynskey might be the nicest actor working in Hollywood. When
Total Film
catches up with the New Zealand star, her thoughtful and gentle presence feels as soothing as a light breeze on awarm day.
Dressed in a pink-and-white jumper, with her hair tied back, she is video-chatting from her daughter’s bedroom in Los Angeles. ‘Can you see the
Encanto
bedspread?’ she asks, moving out of the way to offer up a better view.
It is this sweet-natured manner that the 46-year-old has deployed to chilling effect over a decades-long career. She has always been drawn to complicated women, who are often grappling with a fierce, unwieldy torrent of emotion under a mild exterior. Lynskey can portray rage and how it shatters the soul so viscerally; it’s the bee sting covered in honey, unleashed when you least expect it.
Lynskey with co-star Kate Winslet in 1994’s
Heavenly Creatures