The Last of Us' Kathleen actor Melanie Lynskey has spoken out against body-shaming social media posts. The Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star made her debut in The Last of Us episode 4 as Kathleen, the leader of the Hunters that Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) encounter when they get trapped in Kansas City. The Last of Us has released four episodes so far, all of which have been received with overwhelming praise.

After encountering toxic social media comments, The Last of Us' Kathleen has opened up about the body-shaming she has had to endure since debuting in the series.

Lynskey doesn't hold back, saying that what she might lack in muscles, she more than makes up for in smarts in the series. Unfortunately, this also isn't the first time the Yellowjackets star has had to endure body-shaming in her career.

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Kathleen in The Last Of Us Explained

Kathleen with a look of concern in The Last of Us episode 4

HBO's The Last of Us has done an admirable job of balancing key lore from the game while also infusing new elements that work better for television viewing. One place where they've done this is with Lynskey's Kathleen. The character wasn't actually in the video games, which is a testament to how well she fit into episode 4, as the story didn't skip a beat with her introduction. In the games, the Hunters are a key villainous faction, but they're mostly just cannon fodder for the protagonists. In the television series, the opportunity to flesh out all the characters, including the villains, is given.

Kathleen being the leader makes complete sense with the lore, as no such character was ever introduced for the Hunters. Despite not being in the games, she has already had quite an impact on the story, establishing a previously underdeveloped hierarchy for the Hunters' faction. It's learned that the Hunters have a keen interest in finding a man named Henry, and Kathleen is highly suspicious of Joel and Ellie being allies to their target. The Last of Us ties Henry and Sam into the story in a way that seems to be more fleshed out, given Kathleen's ruthless efforts to track them down.

The ending of The Last of Us episode 4 brought the hunted duo together with Joel and Ellie, setting up further exploration into their history with Kathleen. It will also put them even more squarely into her cross-hairs, which will add danger to their already death-defying journey. Ultimately, the nasty online vitriol doesn't change the fact that both Kathleen and The Last of Us series, as a whole, are both off to very intriguing starts on HBO.

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Source: Melanie Lynskey/Twitter