The Last of Us star Melanie Lynskey couldn’t be happier about her status as a gay icon: ‘So flattered’
Melanie Lynskey wears her gay icon badge with honour. (Getty)
Melanie Lynskey is fully owning her status as a gay icon and fierce ally as she blesses our screens in the latest hit HBO drama The Last of Us.
The actor has appeared in several queer classics from Heavenly Creatures and The L Word to Yellowjackets and, now, The Last of Us – cementing her love for the community.
And she professed this loud and proud on her Twitter after her role as rebel leader Kathleen was announced on the HBO show.
When one troll tweeted that she was “pushing the homosexual agenda” by appearing on the show, she simply replied: “OMG yes let me push that homosexual agenda just by showing up! An honour!”
In a recent interview with EW she expanded on her answer, adding: “Oh my God. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. This man just seeing my face and being like, ‘More pushing of the homosexual agenda.’ I honestly felt so flattered.”
And when asked if she was pleased at being beloved by the gay community she confirmed: “Oh my God, yes. So much. It’s been a badge that I’ve worn proudly forever. It’s just always been a big part of my own community and my life.”
The infamous Twitter interaction is only the latest of a long line of hilarious tweets, in which the gays joked Lynskey would bring the LGBTQ+ viewership to the HBO show.
The Last of Us, which follows a post-pandemic world ravaged by viral fungi, has delivered for the LGBTQ+ community, dedicating the whole of episode three to a heart-wrenching gay love story.
Melanie Lynskey’s character, Kathleen is the embittered leader of a resistance movement in Kansas City who we are introduced to in episode four.
Speaking about how she got involved in the acclaimed series, she explained she already had a pre-existing relationship with the showrunner, Craig Mazin.
“I’m just such a fan of who he is as a human being,” she shared, “we have a very, very fun relationship.” She went on to explain the elaborate zoom game of Mafia they would co-host that would get “crazy”.
It was spending this time with Mazin that made Lynskey confident The Last of Us would be a sure-fire success.
“I knew that I would have fun with Craig. I knew I could trust him to be meticulous. I read the scripts and I was like, ‘these are great.’ I mean, surprise, surprise, it’s Craig Mazin. I really didn’t hesitate. I was so excited about it.”
And of course, everyone is loving her villainous vibes in the series.
The Last of Us airs every Sunday night at 9pm ET on HBO in the US, and in the UK, Monday at 2am GMT on Sky and NOW, and 9pm on Sky Atlantic.
