As you’ve tuned into the latest must-see TV shows, you’ve probably noticed a familiar face — veteran actress Melanie Lynskey. She’s definitely having a moment: In the past few years, Lynskey has starred in critically acclaimed shows like The Last of Us and Yellowjackets — the latter of which earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

And though we all love a later-in-life success story, Lynskey recently sat down with Katie to talk about how finally achieving hers was an uphill battle: She discussed enduring abysmal body standards and being denied the career opportunities lavished upon her Heavenly Creatures costar, Kate Winslet. Plus, Lynskey gets candid about meeting Harvey Weinstein at the beginning of her stardom.

Katie Couric: Let’s talk about Yellowjackets, which is an incredible show. How did that come together, and why do you think it struck a chord among viewers?

Melanie Lynskey: I got offered a script, and it was so good. The thing for me about the pilot was that there were so many female characters, and they all felt like human beings. They all felt like people I knew or wanted to know. There were no stereotypes, and I think that’s the thing that’s been appealing.

Part of [the appeal] is the mystery of the show and the fact that the story is very compelling and well-written. But the other thing is that the women feel real: It’s a group of women in their mid-40s, and we all kind of look like it. We all look like we’ve lived. My co-stars are absolutely beautiful, but there’s not a level of perfection that anyone’s trying to attain. We were encouraged to not wear makeup. It’s refreshing.

You play Shauna, who has this strength and vulnerability. How did you go about playing her?

This character’s so fully realized. She’s funny, she’s sarcastic, and she’s kind of rough around the edges, but she’s like an empowered sexual woman. They’re just giving me incredible stuff to do in every episode.

This idea of “what an actor should look like” continues to dog you.

There was one person I was working alongside who was very concerned with my body. It was disappointing because I had said to that person ahead of time, “Listen, I had a miscarriage, and I have not been able to lose the weight that I gained from being pregnant.” And they still had a problem with it.

At a certain point, as somebody who’d had an eating disorder, my first instinct was to turn on myself and be full of shame. But sometimes, your hormones are out of control and your body’s protecting itself — there wasn’t really anything I could do. I was driving myself crazy and then I said, “You know what? I’m going to go to the producers.” So I said, “Is this a problem? I’ve been told it’s a problem.” And they were horrified — mortified.

Ashley, one of the co-creators of the show, wrote me this beautiful letter that said, I wish that I had seen someone who looked like you on television when I was growing up — and especially in a love triangle with two hot men.

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Listen to this candid episode of Next Question below for more juicy details about the show, and check out the premiere of Yellowjackets season 2 on Sunday, March 26 at 9/8 PM central on Showtime (available March 24 on streaming and on-demand).