Melanie Lynskey is suffering from a little crisis of confidence.

"If I ever have time off and don't know what's coming up next, I get really nervous and think, Oh well, it's probably over."

We doubt it.

Ever since arriving in the States two years ago, the native New Zealander has been working nonstop. Lynskey played Drew Barrymore's not-so-evil stepsister in Ever After, screamed her way through the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red, creeped out Katie Holmes in Abandon and helped Reese Witherspoon reconnect with her southern roots in Sweet Home Alabama.

While still in high school, Lynskey was plucked from drama class to audition for Peter Jackson's indie feature Heavenly Creatures. She won raves for her performance as a teen who schemes to kill her mother. And while the naturally shy Lynskey enjoyed playing such a dark character, she has selected a variety of roles since.

"I always try to do something really different from the last thing. After Abandon, where I was this creepy girl, I just wanted to play someone happy, and then Sweet Home Alabama came along, which was perfect."

Lynskey currently appears in the indie drama Snakeskin, which follows a free-spirited young woman on a road trip across New Zealand. Next up, she guest stars on The Shield as a seemingly quiet woman involved in some friendly neighborhood torture rituals. And this fall, she costars - alongside former Sizzler Hayden Christensen - in Shattered Glass, as a reporter jealous of her dishonest colleague's success.

But even as her Glass character longs for fame, Lynskey remains grounded. "I always thought I'd be in New Zealand doing theater. Everything I've done is greater than my greatest dreams."
--Rhonda Richford

Melanie Lynskey: On the Verge
by David Beebe

Memo to Hollywood: Get ready to witness Melanie Lynskey’s transition from an up-and-comer to a bona-fide star. The 25-year-old actress is about to pop, big time, like that last kernel in the popper. Ms. Lynskey brings an impressive resume as well, filled with big names, movies, and television credits, plus she’s got an accent to die for. To top it all off, she’s smart, beautiful, funny, and carries herself as a squared-away normal girl who has a job she truly loves.

Born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, Lynskey always knew she wanted to be an actress and could never imagine herself doing anything else that would make her as happy. In high school she performed in plays and studied acting. She was planning to continue her education at college, then go on to theater, and then work her way up the ladder from there. But, unbeknownst to her, there was a different plan afoot. Realizing every actor’s dream, Lynskey was hand-picked in high school by Frances Walsh and Peter Jackson to play the lead in Heavenly Creatures. But in spite of giving a critically acclaimed performance, Lynskey’s film career didn’t get off the ground until three years later, when she re-emerged in the 1998 re-telling of the Cinderella story, Ever After. Since then, she’s been working non-stop and has managed to show her wide range of acting skills by taking on completely different roles in every project.

Included among her credits are Detroit Rock City (1999), But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Snakeskin (2001), and Stephen King’s TV mini-series Rose Red (2002). This month, Lynskey can be seen on the big screen again in two completely different parts: in the dramatic thriller Abandon as the mousy library assistant with a secret to tell; and as a good ol’ country girl in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama. She also just finished filming Shattered Glass, the true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass.

During a well deserved break, Lynskey sat down with Venice Magazine to talk about her career so far, what she thinks about Hollywood, and the best advice she’s ever received. Venice: Congratulations on your role in Sweet Home Alabama. Are you starting to get recognized as that "girl in the bar with a baby?"
Yeah, I guess. It’s happening a lot lately because the trailer has been on television fifty times a day showing me holding a baby in the bar. I feel very awkward when I get recognized. I’m not comfortable with it yet. Have you had interesting run-ins with fans yet?
The funniest thing that happened is when I was in Montreal and this girl came up to me and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Melanie Lynskey? She was in so and so movies.’ It’s such a weird experience to be recognized sometimes. Most people think they know you somehow, went to school with you, or that I’m a friend of someone they know. You’re originally from New Zealand. Is the ‘celebrity’ thing big there?
There really isn’t much of a ‘celebrity’ concept there. People are famous, but no one is really bothered by it. People just live their lives there. What’s the acting community like there?
I love New Zealand so much but there’s nowhere to go as an actor. There’s no sense of working up to something. The most famous actors in New Zealand do movies, television, theater, and commercials. There’s just not enough work to be an established film actor. What’s been your observation of American actors?
Well, young American actors are very strange. There seems to be a lot of people who have grown up believing or just knowing that they would be acting for a living compared to those that can’t believe that they’re actually doing it. I still can’t believe that I’ve done everything I’ve done. People always want to be Jennifer Lopez or superstars. I’ve never had a ‘this is where I want to be’ sort of plan. I just feel lucky every time I work. What was it like working with Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama?
She amazes me. Between takes when everyone is just sort of hanging around she’s always reading a book, talking to her daughter, or on the phone organizing something. There’s not a moment of the day that she’s not doing anything. She’s like superwoman. Abandon is also coming out this month. What was that like for you?
Oh, it was fun. I haven’t seen it yet though. I had a lot of scenes with Katie Holmes where I’m sneaking up on her in the library. What was it like working with Katie and Charlie Hunnam?
Katie was a sweetheart. She’s really great. I didn’t have any scenes with Charlie, so I never actually met him on the set, but I finally did meet him about a year and a half later. Tell us about Snakeskin, another movie you did.
It’s my favorite movie I’ve done. I was doing Coyote Ugly when I got sent the script. It was the movie of my dreams. It’s this very dark movie, set in New Zealand, and I play this girl who is very confident. It was the type of role that no one expected me to play. So it was the perfect thing to do. Before Snakeskin, you were in But I’m a Cheerleader in a completely different type of role. How did that come to you?
It just sort of randomly happened. I worked with Natasha Lyonne in Detroit Rock City and she was doing But I’m a Cheerleader. She said I should be in the movie with her and I ended up getting the part so I worked with Natasha twice in a row which was amazing. She is great. Your first role was in Heavenly Creatures while you were still in high school. What was that like?
Making that movie was great. They actually auditioned lots of people for my role but just didn’t feel comfortable with any of them. So a few weeks before they started filming, they scouted for actors and they came to my high school. Since I was always doing plays, I auditioned for it. Peter Jackson and Kate Winslet were so good to me. You just finished filming Shattered Glass. What can you share about that?
It’s this independent movie and Hayden Christensen plays a reporter who works for the New Republic magazine. I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say about it. It’s a true story anyway. What was it like working with Hayden?
He’s very sweet. I think he’s amazing in it. I’d never seen him in anything. I just saw Life as a House the other day. He’s very committed, very good, and I was really impressed. There are lots of good people in it. You also did a television mini-series as well.
Yes, I did Stephen King’s Rose Red. It was fun. I met my boyfriend there. He’s a sweetheart. I don’t know how to drive so he had to bring me to this interview. I really have to learn how to drive. I feel so guilty having him drive me everywhere. Have you ever driven?
Well, Snakeskin was a road movie and I waited until they offered it to me to tell them that I didn’t know how to drive. So I had to have some driving lessons. I just have a terrible phobia about it. Would you want to do more television work?
Yes, if it was a good show. If it was Six Feet Under, life would be complete. I love that show. How do you choose what projects you want to be involved with?
When I read a script, I just get a feeling from it. I don’t have that much freedom in my career, but the little bit that I do have, I usually choose things as a reaction to each [project]. If I do something dramatic, then I’ll want to do a comedy after. Is your family in New Zealand?
Yes, they are. I have three little brothers and one little sister. What do your siblings think of your acting career?
My little sister is very proud of me. She and her friends watch the movies and talk about them. My brothers are just ‘whatever’ about it. If I can introduce them to some hot New Zealand soap opera actresses, then they’re happy. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten about your acting career?
I was 17 in New Zealand when my talent manager found me. She said, "If there is anything else you can imagine being happy doing, you should do it." I feel like that is really good advice. I feel that you really have to want to be an actor to do it. People who get into it just to be a movie star won’t be happy. You have to really love the work.