'Yellowjackets' Star Melanie Lynskey Opens Up About Aging In Hollywood

Melanie Lynskey made her acting debut alongside Kate Winslet in the 1994 "Heavenly Bodies." Since then, she has carved an unconventional approach to her career. 

In a 30-year stint with film, she has had a 12-year-run in "Two And A Half Men" and was recently featured in "Don't Look Up."

Lynskey admitted that she was beyond happy with the fortune she had amassed and the résumé she had built.

She also admitted that she felt more comfortable in her body than ever before, adding that she felt energized and challenged to take on some acting roles at her age.

Read on for more details from the "Don't Look Up" actress.

In an interview with People, the actress opened up about aging in Hollywood. She added that she was grateful for people who called on her for roles despite her age.

"It's pretty amazing to be 44 and still feeling challenged and excited," she began. "I had a lot of beliefs when I started about what I was supposed to look like, and it feels very nice to be in a body that I am comfortable in, to be aging and have people want to cast me."

While the actress reminisced, she mentioned that she couldn't remember a time in her life when there were no "comments" about her body.

"There is not a time in my life where I was free from thinking how I could look better, which is a real bummer, but it is very normal for women."

She also noted that although those thoughts could be a challenge sometimes, she has come a long way and generally felt good about herself.

In the same interview, Lynskey disclosed her next role in the Hulu limited series, "Candy." She would be appearing alongside Jessica Biel and would also play the role of Betty Gore, a small town teacher who was murdered by her friend.

Lynskey revealed that she took the role because she could relate to her character as "somebody from a very small town who moved to a place that is so different from where I grew up."

She continued, "As someone who is shy to begin with, I understand how impossible it is to break into a world that is hard for you to understand."

Lynskey added that her character was a sharp contrast to the Shauna character she played in "Yellowjackets."

"It's very fun for me to play Shauna because she's somebody who has a lot of confidence, and Betty is somebody who doesn't feel great about herself," she says. "It's a lot more fun to play somebody who's just like, 'I think I'm f---ing hot.'"

Following all these dark roles she has taken on, Lynskey hopes to play a comic character for her next film.

"I don't plan on working again until Yellowjackets season 2, but if someone came to me with a really funny comedy or a romantic comedy, I would be like, 'Sure,'" she added jocularly. "Dark and sad, I do not think I could do it right now!"

When Lynskey isn't working on any movie, the actress spends time with her husband, Jason Ritter, and her three-year-old kid.

She added that she always gets a lot of support from Ritter as she usually splits the parenting duties between herself and her husband.

"He's so helpful, so supportive, and he's willing to travel with me so the family can be together." 

She mentioned that while she did the same for him, he usually did the bulk as she had been working a lot more recently. 

Lynskey was also full of praise for her nanny, who usually came to assist when the couple was busy.

"On the weekends, it's just me and him. But when I'm away on location, we'll have our amazing nanny come to work with us, and she's my daughter's favorite person."

She continued, "She is an absolute angel. She is with my child and my child is safe and taken care of and she allows me to go and do my work."

At this point in her career, Lynskey only feels overwhelmed with gratitude. She added that she had no idea how she got lucky, claiming that she was beyond "fortunate."

"I have so much gratitude that I get to do work that I love, and I have a family that I love. I am beyond fortunate. Every time I have a shower, I am just like, 'God, here I am in a home with running water and hot water.' The gratitude is crazy," she concluded.