Warning! SPOILERS for Yellowjackets.
Showtime’s Yellowjackets is primarily led by New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey, who has a long career in popular movies and TV shows. Yellowjackets follows the story of a high school girls’ soccer team, the Yellowjackets, whose plane crashes in the Canadian Rockies on the way to their championship game in 1996. The series largely focuses on two timelines: in 1996, when the girls learn to survive in the wilderness, and in 2021 when the adult survivors are revisited by their traumatic, secretive past. While Yellowjackets’ teenage cast of characters primarily consists of up-and-coming actors, the adult cast is supported by the performances of celebrated female actresses like Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, and Melanie Lynskey.
Melanie Lynskey portrays the adult version of one of Yellowjackets’ protagonists, Shauna, who survived the soccer team’s 19-month time in the wilderness. Shauna as an adult is a complex character, who’s shown dealing with the aftermath of the trauma she experienced in the wilderness, such as being pregnant for the first few months, as well as eventually resorting to cannibalism. In the present timeline, Melanie Lynskey portrays Shauna’s guilt about her once best-friend Jackie, her unfaithful marriage to Yellowjackets‘ Jeff, and blackmail to her and her fellow Yellowjackets survivors. As the truth of her past in the wilderness is uncovered, Shauna is tasked with even more grueling mysteries in the present.
While Yellowjackets is finally giving Lynskey the dramatic TV critical acclaim she deserves, the actress is particularly recognizable for her previous comedy roles. Melanie Lynskey appeared in a supporting role in Adam McKay’s divisive 2021 movie Don’t Look Up as June Mindy, the wife of Leonardo DiCaprio’s lead character. The actress is also known for her recurring role in the comedy Two and a Half Men, where she played Rose, the Harpers’ wealthy neighbor, for a total of 63 episodes from 2003 to 2015. Lynskey also had a starring role in HBO’s comedy-drama series Togetherness, in which she portrayed the character Michelle Pierson. One of her most notable comedy-drama roles was as Karen Amalfi in the 2012 Steve Carell-led movie Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.
Lynskey is also known for her significant roles in popular dramatic films of the 2000s and 2010s like Perks of Being a Wallflower, where she played Charlie’s sexually abusive Aunt Helen. The Yellowjackets actress also appeared as the younger sister of George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air, which was nominated for Best Picture. Before that, Melanie Lynskey was known for her supporting roles in Drew Barrymore’s Cinderella remake Ever After, Coyote Ugly, and 2002’s rom-com Sweet Home Alabama starring Reese Witherspoon.
The Critics Choice-nominated actress has also starred in several popular TV show dramas ahead of Yellowjackets, many of which have won her critical acclaim. Melanie Lynskey was also cast in Hulu’s 2020 miniseries Mrs. America as Rosemary Thompson, season 1 of Hulu’s Stephen King-inspired series Castle Rock as Molly Strand, and the satire comedy series Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later as Laura. Following her acclaim for portraying Shauna in Yellowjackets, which has already been renewed for season 2, Melanie Lynskey will star in Hulu’s upcoming 2022 miniseries Candy as Betty Gore.
