Melanie Lynskey

She was discovered by Fran Walsh - who was looking for a teenage actress to play Pauline Parker in Criaturas celestiales (1994) - during an exhaustive search of New Zealand high schools, just two weeks before filming was due to commence.

[on life after Criaturas celestiales (1994)] I think the hardest thing was to go back to school. It's a pretty catty environment at an all-girls school and things happened. For example, 60 Minutes (1993) came to do a story on me and followed me around for a day. At school you just don't need that. And then I would have to go to New York or Sydney for a week and take time out. And while they were amazing experiences, it was hard because I had these two completely separate lives. I think a lot of people resented that. It put me outside of them a bit.