I am appalled that it’s taken us this long to feature the incredible Melanie Lynskey on Woman Crush Wednesday! Let’s take a look at her repertoire of historical film and television roles!
Cult classic and the first feature film for both Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet! It’s a fantasy-ized retelling of an infamous New Zealand murder case from 1954 in which two young girls murder the mother of one of them. Gorgeous film about an intense friendship gone horribly toxic.
It’s ridiculous that Melanie Lynskey was cast as the “ugly” step-sister in Ever After, because she’s unambiguously gorgeous. I love this green gown so much!
Detroit Rock City (1999)
Set in 1979, so I’m pushing it with including this film on the list of “historical” flicks, but I guess we’ve reached that point where we are looking back half a century and realizing we’re that old. Cute coming-of-age film about a group of friends taking a road trip to see Kiss play in concert in Detroit.
The Cherry Orchard (1999)
Based on the play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, and actually one of my favorites, if you can believe it. Melanie Lynskey plays Dunyasha, a maid working in the Ranevskaya estate who has social aspirations beyond her station. The costumes look really good, too!
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
A film based on the story behind the iconic photograph of soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima in World War II. Warning: the film has A LOT of historical inaccuracies surrounding the identities of the soldiers, but it’s a Clint Eastwood flick so you’re not really there for strict history so much as the emotional impact of it. Melanie Lynskey plays Pauline, the wife of one of the soldiers. The costumes were by Deborah Hopper and are really good.
Comanche Moon (2008)
A TV miniseries based on a novel by Larry McMurtry about a small troop of Texas Rangers and their families in the 1860s. Melanie Lynskey plays Pearl Coleman, wife of the troubled Ranger Bill Coleman. It’s a small supporting role, but carries a huge emotional punch.
Mrs. America (2020)
An ambitious TV miniseries about the fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment against its main foe, conservative shitweasel activist Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett). Melanie Lynskey plays Rosemary Thomson, an ally of Schlafly’s. If you want a Cliff’s Notes version of why America is the way it is today, definitely watch this.
Candy (2022)
Despite being a huge true crime nerd, I really object to film and TV series that try to glamorize murderers, and that’s why I’ve held off watching this show. It came out around the same time as other similar shows like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and, like, just fuck off trying to valorize these degenerates. Anyway. The show covers the murder of Betty Gore (Lynskey) by her neighbor Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel).
Do you have a favorite film or TV role featuring Melanie Lynskey? Share it with us in the comments!
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