Melanie Lynskey on the Hollywood Cliché That Will Make Her Hate Working With You

How has Melanie Lynskey persevered in the entertainment biz and become one of its most compelling screen actors Through a combination of hard work, passion for the craft, and learningoften the hard waythat originality trumps imitation. Rather than striving to deliver what the industry might want, shes guided by a principle other working artists can live by: Theres one me. As soon as I learned that lesson, things got a lot easier for me. Melanie had an improbable career breakout, cast in her feature film debut as a teenager in Peter Jacksons Heavenly Creatures. From working and studying in her native New Zealand, to eventually appearing to American audiences on Two and a Half Men, shes steadily risen through Hollywoods ranks, appearing in Ever After, Coyote Ugly, Sweet Home Alabama, Hello I Must Be Going, Togetherness, and Mrs. America. Now, shes earned SAG ensemble award recognition for Netflix and Adam McKays Oscarnominated Dont Look Up, plus a Critics Choice Award nod