Melanie Lynskey is opening up about her experience with body shaming.
The New Zealand-born actress starred in the hit 2000's film Coyote Ugly and has now revealed in a interview with The Hollywood Reporter, that it wasn't always the most comfortable set to work on.
Speaking to the publication, thestar who played Gloria, the New Jersey-based BFF to Piper Perabo's Violet, claimed all of the women on set were subject to criticism about their bodies.
The actress, who was a size 4 at the time said, "All the girls had this regimen they had to go on. It was ridiculous," adding, "I was already starving myself and as thin as I could possibly be for this body."
She went on to say despite being put in "a lot of Spanx" the costume designer still looked at her and said, "Nobody told me there would be girls like you".
Lynskey said the feedback was "really intense", and she constantly heard, "You're not beautiful. You're not beautiful."
She added: "In your early 20s, so much of it is about beauty, and how people respond to you, and do people want to f*** you? Do people think you're their best friend? Even the best friend thing, I started to be like, 'I don't want to do that too many times.'"
The article quickly drew attention online resulting in Lynskey clarifying who she was talking about.
"I see this has become a headline so please let me clarify some things!" She said, "The costume designer who initially worked on Coyote Ugly left for some reason, & a lovely kind woman named Marlene Stewart took over and she was AWESOME. The first person was mean, the person credited was not."
She went on to say her answer "was kind of a jumble".
I see this has become a headline so please let me clarify some things! The costume designer who initially worked on Coyote Ugly left for some reason, & a lovely kind woman named Marlene Stewart took over and she was AWESOME. The first person was mean, the person credited was not https://t.co/bHBu7Pefu3
Appearing on Newstalk ZB the 44-year-old actress said she couldn't even think about visiting New Zealand without crying.
"Have you tried to come home during the pandemic? Might you be able to get home sometime soon?" the radio host asked her.
"I'm literally crying, that's all it takes is like one question, sorry," the actress said through tears.
"I'm just so homesick, it's been two years, it's the longest I've been away. I'm the oldest of five and usually at least two of my siblings come visit every year," Lynskey added.
"It's killing me. It's just so hard with my job."
Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures.
It is unclear if the actress has been back in New Zealand since border restrictions have been lifted.
Lynskey was born in New Zealand and made her film debut at 16 in Sir Peter Jackson's 1994 psychological drama, Heavenly Creatures, however she moved to Los Angeles two years later to pursue her acting career.
