I’ve been a huge fan of Melanie Lynskey’s ever since she and Kate Winslet burst onto the scene in Peter Jackson’s remarkable Heavenly Creatures. Lynskey was only 16 when that film came out. The talented actress has since appeared in films such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Up in the Air, The Informant, Flags of Our Fathers, Shattered Glass, and Ever After. TV audiences know her as Rose from Two and a Half Men. When I last interviewed Melanie Lynskey, in 2012, she was starring in Todd Louiso’s Hello I Must Be Going. She received rave reviews and was so outstanding in the role I remember being furious when she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar that year. I’m always excited when I hear that Lynskey is in a new film.
In Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, Melanie Lynskey plays a novelist named Kelly living in Chicago with her film director husband, Jeff (Swanberg), and their two-year-old son (the filmmaker’s real-life son, Jude Swanberg). Their peaceful existence is tested when Jeff’s irresponsible younger sister, Jenny (Anna Kendrick), comes to live with them following a bad break-up. Jenny begins a rocky relationship with the family’s babysitter (Mark Webber) and she and a friend, Carson (Lena Dunham), spur Kelly to make some big changes in her life. But are they welcome changes? I talked to Melanie Lynskey about her entirely improvised role in this movie.
Danny Miller: I assume this film was made the typical Joe Swanberg way — without a script as we know it?
Melanie Lynskey: Yes. Joe first called me and said he had this idea to make a movie about what his wife had gone through having a baby and dealing with her work. The next time he called, he said he wanted to make a movie about what happened when his brother stayed with them for a while and was a total disaster. Then he called again and said he wanted to make a movie about me and Anna Kendrick writing an erotic novel. I asked which one he was going to choose and said “All of the above!”
Ha! I bet it was hard to imagine how those three things would go together.
I know, I was very nervous! But then he sent an outline that connected all the dots scene by scene.
I wonder what his brother thinks of the film — at least he got turned into Anna Kendrick! As an actress, is it terrifying to do scenes without a script?
No, not for me, I love improv! I had this acting class in New Zealand when I was growing up with this teacher who would constantly throw out ideas for scenes as she sat there chain-smoking and we’d have to come up with something — it was the greatest! Joe’s style is very similar, I love it.
Even though you’re playing a fictional character, is a lot of what Kelly says in different situations the same as what you, Melanie Lynskey, would say?
Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, there are some things about the character that are very different from my life and Joe checked in with me about those. Was I interested in talking about things like motherhood, for example, did I have any frame of reference for that? So I thought about my girlfriends who have kids and the struggles they have. It’s so different for women. It’s very weird for some of them to be at the peak of their careers and then have to put it aside to some extent when they have children. It’s complicated because many women do have this maternal instinct and don’t want to be away from their child but they also don’t want to stop their work. It can be a real struggle with some of them not feeling like themselves anymore.
At least your character had a husband who was willing to meet her halfway when she needed time to work on her book.
It’s true — a lot of people don’t have that!
You had such a great rapport with Joe’s adorable son.
I know, I loved him! I’m a godmother to many of my friends’ children so I have some experience around kids that age.
I know that boy was extremely young but, I swear, it really seemed like he was “acting” in some of those scenes!
I’m happy that you recognized that because there were times when I was like, “What is this kid doing?” He was acting! There was a scene with some Cheerios where he did the same thing for every take because he saw how well it worked the first time!
What a natural. Joe should turn this film into Boyhood and get you guys back together one week every year so we can see his son growing up before our eyes!
Oh God, I want to see that film so bad.
You have to see it — it’s one of the greatest films I’ve seen in ages.
I love Richard Linklater and I worship Patricia Arquette, I can’t wait to see it!
My wife would be kicking me under the table for asking such a question to an actress, but I loved you so much in Hello I Must Be Going that I’ve been frustrated you haven’t had more lead roles where you really carry the film even though you’ve been so wonderful in everything you’ve done since then, including this film. Is that ever frustrating for you? Forgive me for asking such a hideous question!
(Laughs.) It’s not a hideous question at all! It’s so hard in this business. I have several projects that I’m attached to and one of them is a Hello I Must Be Going situation where I would be in every frame of the movie. It’s such a smart film but it’s very dark and it’s just so hard to get funding to get films like that made these days since I’m not a big star and I wasn’t in Twilight.
Thank God you weren’t.
I know, but if you’ve done a big movie like that it becomes so much easier to get a movie made.
You and Kate Winslet were such sensations when you appeared in Heavenly Creatures. Do you think that film still gets you traction with the bigwigs of Hollywood?
I don’t think so. I mean, people have respect for that movie but it was a really long time ago! It’s just a hard business. I have a lot of friends who are fantastic actors and they don’t get nearly enough work. I’m so grateful that this is the only thing I do, I’ve never had to get another job. I sometimes go out for big movies, and I’d love to do more of those, but I really love doing these small films.
You’re so great in them. I love the rapport that you have with both Anna Kendrick and Lena Dunham in this film. Those conversations the three of you had must have been very fun to shoot.
We had so much fun. And you know, we recorded a lot of stuff that didn’t make it into the movie. It’s weird — I mean, I know Joe Swanberg and I’ve seen all of his movies and there’s some stuff we talked about that I’m shocked he didn’t put in. I remember after the first screening, Anna was like, “Really? He didn’t use that stuff about our sexual fantasies?”
Damn it! That needs to go on the DVD!
Yeah, he ended up keeping it fairly PG — maybe because his kid is in it! But working with Anna and Lena was such a joy.
Are there moments when you’re working in this style when it doesn’t go well and you stop and say, “Hold it, I’m lost, can we start over?”
I thought that would happen more often but you end up just sort of getting yourself out of those corners you paint yourself into. I would ask Joe that sometimes after a scene and he’d say, “Don’t worry, I can edit it later!” And I’d think, “How? We did that whole shot in one take!” It was so loose on this film, I loved it.
Was there any talk about making your character American or would putting on a different accent be against Joe’s style?
He really did not want that! At first I didn’t want her to be from New Zealand. I actually prefer doing an accent in movies, it helps me really feel like I’m a different person.
And you do a killer American accent. But it was nice to hear your real voice for a change. Have you used your regular accent in many movies since Heavenly Creatures?
No, not at all, except for a couple of movies I did in New Zealand. I did a part in They Came Together, the David Wain movie with Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd, and he wanted me to use my own accent. The movie is a parody of romantic comedies and I thought it would just be confusing to have this random person with an accent but he thought it was funny. So we shot the movie and then David said, “Oops, you were right, it doesn’t work!” I had to dub my whole performance with an American accent.
Oh, God. But I think it works perfectly for this film. I like how they didn’t overexplain it, either, we just get that this guy met this woman from New Zealand. I think the only mention of it is when you talk about your brother who visited who was so much nicer than Anna Kendrick.
Yes, Trevor!
Was that based on Joe’s wife’s brother?
It’s funny because she actually does have a brother but I didn’t know that at the time. I just made Trevor up on the spot to fuck with Joe a little bit in that scene. I thought it would be funny for Kelly to start talking about her brother who had such a great visit with them. And then Joe’s wife, Chris, told me that she really does have a brother who stayed with them and that it was wonderful!
Did I hear that you’ve already shot another film with Joe Swanberg?
Yeah, and Anna’s in it, too. I did one scene but I think we’re going to do a few more bits and pieces. My scene was with Rosemarie Dewitt who is another amazing actress. I’m not even sure what that film is about, I just showed up and Joe said, “Eh, you don’t need to know!”
I’m also excited about your HBO series coming up.
Yes, it’s called Togetherness and the Duplass brothers made it. Mark Duplass and I play a married couple with two young kids who are having problems and then my sister moves in with us. She’s played by Amanda Peet who’s amazing. And Steve Zissis plays an old friend of Mark’s who also moves in with us. We did eight episodes.
Do you like to watch your own movies?
I like to see the finished product but I don’t like to see myself at all. I don’t think it’s natural to see that much of yourself. I also think makeup trailers are super-weird when you’re in hair and make-up for an hour and a half and you just have to stare at yourself during all that time. It’s not healthy — people don’t do that in real life!
Do you ever watch Heavenly Creatures?
I actually went to a screening of it last month with my boyfriend and little sister but I made us leave! I did the Q&A beforehand, it was being introduced by Kimberly Peirce and Jamie Babbitt, two wonderful filmmakers I’ve worked with. They chose it as their “inspiration movie” so it was a very lovely night. But when the film started, I got so self-conscious I couldn’t stand it. I hadn’t seen it for years and I told my boyfriend and sister that I just couldn’t do it so we quietly slipped out. They’ve both seen it before so it was okay!
That’s probably how Lorelei Linklater feels watching Boyhood. I interviewed her and she said it was just too painful to watch herself going through those awkward years.
Yes, there was definitely an awkwardness, it’s really hard to watch myself acting at that age.
But I’m sure you recognize what a magnificent film it is.
It seems like a great film, but I can’t be objective — there’s just too much of my face!