MELANIE LYNSKEY

The award-winning star of Yellowjackets, 44, segues from the dark Showtime series to a role in the true-crime drama Candy (May 9 on Hulu).

Set in 1980, it’s the story of two female friends—Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel) and Betty Gore (Lynskey)—whose relationship leads to a murderous breakup.

Who are Candy and Betty? Two women who were frustrated; neither was particularly happy. The circumstances of the time meant that they both had to be housewives and stay in marriages that weren’t especially fulfilling. So they acted out in different ways.

You’ve said you care deeply about Betty. How so?

She’s a woman living this complicated existence, and then it’s cut short. She didn’t get to see her babies grow up. There’s so much of her life that she missed out on. I wanted to treat her with love and respect.

What’s it like on Yellowjackets to play Shauna, who can chop up her boyfriend in a bathroom? It’s hard to play Shauna sometimes because her PTSD and her trauma are so great that she doesn't allow herself to feel a lot. If I was thinking about chopping up my lover, I would be weeping, I would be losing my mind. She can put things into a different part of her brain so that she can get through it. But it’s not very much like me.

What’s on your to-do list now? In my life, I would love to have another baby [she has a 3-year-old daughter with husband Jason Ritter], but I don’t know how possible that is at this stage. I’m a bit older. In my career, I would love to do a rom-com; that’s my next dream. It just seems so fun to do something so silly and light and just have fun all day.