Kiwi actress Melanie Lynskey faces body issues to bare all

Kiwi Actress Melanie Lynskey is proud of a sex scene she was required to do for TV show Togetherness.

Kiwi actress Melanie Lynskey has made it big in Hollywood, but there are still some things that daunt her.

The brunette beauty, who shot to stardom at the age of 14 in Heavenly Creatures beside Kate Winslet, has since appeared in more than 30 films and TV shows including the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men.

But behind that outwardly confident persona is someone who has struggled with body image her whole life.

A fear she had to overcome during a nude scene in season two of television series, Togetherness, she told Woman's Weekly.

Playing the role of housewife Michelle - Lynskey was required to strip off - it was a scary thought, but the result is something she could be proud of.

Melanie Lynskey as Michelle in the TV show Togetherness.

"We're not showing perfectly manicured porn bodies - people are used to seeing that kind of image of sexuality, especially of the female body," she said in the Woman's Weekly interview.

"It feels really exciting to be naked and be like 'hey, that's what some people look like!' There's a part of that I feel really liberated about. I saw it and thought, 'this feels kind of nice for the world - just a fleshy, fleshy lady lying there."

While her fame can not be denied, the starlet shies away from all that comes with success in Hollywood.

The 38-year-old favours simple things in life - hiking, Thai food, trips to the beach and spending time with actor boyfriend Jason Ritter, 35.

- nzherald.co.nz