The Last of Us Kathleen actress defends role following backlash

It’s no secret that HBO’s The Last of Us has been extremely well received. In fact, the show is such a colossal success that HBO renewed the series for a second season after just two episodes had aired.

The show’s popularity continues to grow. This week’s episode set a brand new viewership record. Fans were full of praise for the actor who brought the character Bryan to life, plus many were pleased to see that the game’s iconic magazine scene had made it into the show. Despite its acclaim though, The Last of Us has also been met with some criticism and Kathleen actress Melanie Lynskey has responded to a spate of hatred aimed at her character.

The Last of Us Part I releases on PC on 28 March. Check out the remake compared to the original game.

In Naughty Dog’s game, Joel and Ellie encounter the ruthless Hunters in Pittsburgh. In the series, they come against Kathleen’s group - who have previously overthrown FEDRA - in Kansas City. Kathleen isn’t your average revolutionary leader though. She’s soft-spoken, speaking with an almost endearing tonality. That’s led some to suggest though that someone like Kathleen could not lead a revolution.

Lynskey isn’t standing for that. Taking to Twitter, she wrote, “I’m playing a person who meticulously planned & executed an overthrow of FEDRA. I am supposed to be SMART, ma’am. I don’t need to be muscly. That’s what henchmen are for.” She later added, “Other than getting to work with creative geniuses who I respect and admire (Neil & Craig), the thing that excited me most about doing The Last of Us is that my casting suggested the possibility of a future in which people start listening to the person with the best ideas.”

“Not the coolest or the toughest person. The organiser. The person who knows where everything is. The person who is doing the planning. The person who can multitask. The one who’s decisive,” she continued. “Women, and especially women in leadership positions, are scrutinised incessantly. Her voice is too shrill. Her voice is too quiet. She pays too much attention to how she looks. She doesn’t pay enough attention to how she looks. She’s too angry. She’s not angry enough. I was excited at the idea of playing a woman who had, in a desperate and tragic time, jumped into a role she had never planned on having and nobody else had planned on her having, and then she actually got s**t done.”

“I wanted her to look like she should have a notepad on her at all times. 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. I understand that some people are mad that I’m not the typical casting for this role. That’s thrilling to me. Other than the moments after action is called, when you feel like you’re actually in someone else’s body, the most exciting part of my job is subverting expectations.” Well said.