Melanie Lynskey, star of HBOs wildly successful seriesThe Last of Us, recently fired back at a body-shaming comment fromAmerica’s Next Top Modelcontestant Adrianne Curry.Lynskey, a New Zealand actress known for her recentrole in Showtime’sYellowjackets, stars inThe Last of Usas a woman heading up the resistance movement against the totalitarian government that arises after a zombie apocalypse started by insidious fungi. A character who is a new addition to the show and not present in the originalThe Last of Usgame of the same name, Lynskey’s Kathleen appears in episode 4 of the HBO series, torturing enemies for information and seeking out the main characters, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), as they attempt to take shelter after an attack by Kathleen’s men.RELATED:Yellowjackets Lands Early Season 3 Renewal at ShowtimeOn Twitter this week, Adrianne Curry, a reality model competition contestant, made contentious remarks on a photo of Lynskey that appeared in InStyle magazine, remarking that her body size did not reflect that of a post-apocalyptic warlord. Curry’s reference to Linda Hamilton,star of theTerminatorfranchise, refers to Hamilton’s thin, muscled, and athletic body. The comments quickly resulted in a response by Lynskey and others on the inappropriateness of the implied meaning of Curry’s comment, which seemed to reflect on Lynskey’s more curvaceous physique, a subject that the actress has admitted has come up before, both in public and behind the scenes.
Curry quickly backtracked and wrote in a since-deleted post she was merely commenting on Lynskey’s body type as a poor fit forthe character she plays onThe Last of Us. However, fans and supporters of Lynskey were quick to point out Curry’s skewed view of female bodies, fitness, and strength. Curry has since made her Twitter account private, even after followers and supporters of Lynskey tried to point out the error of her ways and encouraged her to apologize regardless of the meaning, pointed or unintentional, behind her initial comment.
Lynskey has often openly spoken of her negative experiences, particularly during the filming ofCoyote Ugly(2000), as an actress whose body type often falls outside the previous Hollywood norms of extreme thinness. With a body type more reflective of most women statistically, she remains a refreshing example of an actress who continues to gain accolades and great roles falling outside those often unrealistic standards, proving that strength and power have little to do with body size and shape.
The Last of Usepisode 5 premieres on HBO Max and HBO On Demand on February 10 before its linear HBO airing on July 31, 2025.
