The Last of Us star Melanie Lynskey is ready for a spin-off series about her ruthless villain
Melanie Lynsey as Kathleen in The Last of Us. (HBO)
The Last of Us star Melanie Lynskey has revealed that she’d love her villainous character Kathleen to take the spotlight in a spin-off series.
Based on the 2013 video game, the hit HBO show follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and teen Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they fight for survival in a zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic USA
Lynskey’s character Kathleen, the leader of a resistance group, is introduced in episode four. Traumatised by the death of her brother and seeking revenge, she is soon corrupted into becoming a ruthless and murderous tyrant.
Oh and, spoiler alert, by the end of the first season she meets a horrific end at the hands of a Clicker.
But even though her character bites the dust in the first instalment of the show, Lynskey reckons Kathleen’s backstory could be perfect for a future spin-off.
“If they wanted to go back and do an origin story, I would be there for it,” she told Variety. “The story of how this woman got into this crazy position would be really interesting.”
As one of the most popular HBO series ever, it’s no surprise that the show has been renewed for a second season, where it will continue to explores the events of the video game. However, there has been no indication that The Last of Us will be expanding it’s post-apocalyptic universe with spin-off shows – for now, at least.
Lynskey has previously talked about her devotion to creating a nuanced character in Kathleen, explaining how she drew upon her femininity to subvert the trope of brutal female characters.
“I wanted her to look like she should have a notepad on her at all times,” she wrote on Twitter. “I wanted her to be feminine and soft-voiced, and all the things that we’ve been told are weak. Because, honestly, f**k that.”
Despite Lynskey’s enthusiasm to return to the role, she admitted that she almost didn’t even accept the part in the show. “I’ve never played a video game,” she told Variety. “My thumbs don’t work that way. I didn’t even play Atari. I was reading books, I was reading D.H. Lawrence when I was a child.”
In the end it was her husband, actor Jason Ritter – who had an uncredited role in the series – who convinced her, saying: “‘You have to do it, no questions asked’. I was like, ‘But I’m tired’. He was like, ‘I don’t care’.”
Lucky for us.
Meanwhile, Lynskey is continuing to delight fans with her twisted performance in Yellowjackets, which has just begun its second season.
The Lord of the Flies-esque LGBTQ+ series sees teen girls trapped in the wilderness and fighting for their lives after their plane crashes in 1996, while Lynskey plays the future version of one of the characters, Shauna, who is traumatised by her experiences.
And she could be in the running for a spin-off there as well, with the showrunners, Ashley Lyle and Bart, Nickerson telling the Hollywood Reporter: “We certainly aren’t closed off to the idea. It would have to make sense. We have a couple of ideas.”
