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'I was already starving myself': 'Coyote Ugly' star Melanie Lynskey recalls being body-shamed on set

Melanie Lynskey wanted her character Shauna to look like a real woman, not the Hollywood version of one

Melanie Lynskey, 44, revealed she was body-shamed while filming the 2000 movie 'Coyote Ugly'. The New Zealand-born actress, who is known for her portrayals of soft-spoken but headstrong characters, opened up about being under constant scrutiny over her weight. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress said, "All the girls had this regimen they had to go on. It was ridiculous." "I was already starving myself and as thin as I could possibly be for this body, and I was still a [size] four" she added while sharing her experience of filming on the set of 'Coyote Ugly'.

Lynskey recalls how she and her co-stars were constantly criticized for their physical appearances, including lead star Piper Perabo. "There were already people putting a lot of Spanx on me in wardrobe fittings and being very disappointed when they saw me, the costume designer being like, 'Nobody told me there would be girls like you,'" Lynskey continued. "Really intense feedback about my physicality, my body, people doing my makeup and being like, 'I'm just going to help you out by giving you a bit more of a jawline and stuff.' Just the feedback was constantly like, 'You're not beautiful. You're not beautiful," she said. "In your early 20s, so much of it is about beauty, and how people respond to you, and do people want to f— you? Do people think you're their best friend? Even the best friend thing, I started to be like, 'I don't want to do that too many times,'" Lynskey added.

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Lynskey did not hold back from sharing about all the other times in her career when she was allegedly body-shamed on set, due to which she struggled with eating disorders and low self-esteem. She also recalls the body shaming she experienced behind the scenes of her hit Showtime series 'Yellowjackets', claiming the production team criticized her shape during filming. They were asking me, 'What do you plan to do? I'm sure the producers will get you a trainer. They'd love to help you with this,'" Lynskey recalled during an interview with Rolling Stone. She also noted that her co-stars Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis came to her defense, with Lewis, 48, penning a letter to the producers.

Lynskey wanted her character Shauna to look like a real woman, not the Hollywood version of one. "It was really important to me for [Shauna] to not ever comment on my body, to not have me putting a dress on and being like, 'I wish I looked a bit better,'" she said. "I did find it important that this character is just comfortable and sexual and not thinking or talking about it, because I want women to be able to watch it and be like, 'Wow, she looks like me and nobody's saying she's the fat one.' That representation is important," the actress further added.

Melanie Lynskey's husband Jason Ritter spoke against body-shaming trolls on social media. The actor did not hold back and gave his piece of mind about the ''unsolicited comments''.