Melanie Lynskey was body-shamed on the set of Yellowjackets — but her costars were having none of that

Showtime's Yellowjackets has been heating up TV screens this winter and is set to go out with a bang on tonight's epic season finale. But for Melanie Lynskey, who plays frustrated stay-at-home mom Shauna, the drama didn't always stay in front of the camera.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Lynskey claims her physical appearance was criticized by a member of the Yellowjackets production.

"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 says.

However, Lynskey's costars, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, and Tawny Cypress, rallied around her in support, and Lewis went so far as to write a letter to the producers on Lynksey's behalf.

At the time of publication, reps for Showtime and Lynskey did not respond to EW's request for comment.

In addition to facing scrutiny from production, Lynskey also had to contend with fans of the show who questioned the legitimacy of a storyline involving Shauna hooking up with a younger man, the mysterious, curly-haired artist Adam (Peter Gadiot).

"I'm just like, 'Wow, really? That's where people's heads are at, that the most important thing is being thin or young?'" wondered the 41-year-old New Zealand native.

What makes this criticism of Lynskey particularly galling is that Shauna is supposed to look like a "real woman" — something Hollywood has always been fervently against, despite pledges and rhetoric to the opposite, but to which Lynskey remains committed.

"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,' " the actress says. "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 season finale of Yellowjackets airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

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