Melanie Lynskey confirms that gays have better taste: ‘Heterosexuals are not always so discerning’
Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey has confirmed what we already knew – queers have the best taste. (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Paramount+)
The Last of Us and Yellowjackets actor Melanie Lynskey has spoken out about loving her status as an LGBTQ+ icon, because it “feels like more of an achievement” to be adored by the queer community.
Lynskey, who is currently starring as the adult Shauna Shipman in cannibalistic survival series Yellowjackets, has not shied away from embracing her LGBTQ+ fans.
In fact, she clapped back adorably on Twitter in February when someone called her joining the cast of HBO’s fungal post-apocalyptic smash-hit The Last of Us “homosexual agenda-pushing”.
Lynskey responded in iconic fashion, writing: “OMG yes let me push that homosexual agenda just by showing up!”
And the Kiwi actor has since confirmed that she really is “big on pushing the homosexual agenda”, telling Gay Times that she thinks it “should be pushed” and that it’s “a big agenda for me”.
Now, the certified ‘mother’ has endeared herself to queer fans everywhere once again, by asking the very pertinent question, “Doesn’t everybody want to be loved by gay people?”
In a perfect world, the answer, of course, would be a resounding yes.
In an interview with The Independent on Saturday (29 April), Lynskey addressed her penchant for taking on unapologetically queer roles during her nearly three decades acting – including the 1994 biographical drama Heavenly Creatures alongside Kate Winslet, cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader in 1999 and trailblazing lesbian TV offering The L Word.
And let’s not forget Yellowjackets, with the sapphic Showtime thriller heralded as the “queerest show on TV right now”.
Referring to an instance when she was asked disapprovingly about whether she played too many gay roles, Lynskey responded: “There are so few gay characters in the world. It’s not like I’m going to be able to exclusively play gay people. There’s just not enough material. It’s always been strange to me that people have those concerns.”
Lynskey described her family as being an accepting one, and herself as somebody who was “exploring my sexuality even before Heavenly Creatures“.
“I always thought I could be anything,” she continued, before revealing that her mother would ask her children whether they were gay because “she always wanted a gay child”.
“It was always something that was not just on the table but she would say, ‘Do you think maybe … ?’ And so I was like, ‘Yeah, maybe!’ I was always exploring it.”
In a world where so many queer kids still receive the sharp end of parental rejection for their sexuality and gender identity, we should all take a moment to celebrate Melanie Lynskey’s mum.
The Yellowjackets star also confirms what we knew already – queers really do have the best taste.
“Doesn’t everybody want to be loved by gay people? I feel like heterosexuals are not always so discerning. This feels like more of an achievement.”
Thank you Melanie Lynskey for finally saying it.
The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season and Lynskey is hoping for a spin-off starring her ruthless resistance leader Kathleen.
Yellowjackets is currently streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes dropping every Friday.
