New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey broke down in tears this morning chatting to Jack Tame over not being able to visit her family in New Zealand. 

The Kiwi actress, who lives in the US, says the pandemic has been incredibly hard as she has not been able to see her loved ones in two years - the longest she's been away from home. 

Speaking to Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB this morning, the "Heavenly Creatures" star said she can't even think about visiting New Zealand without crying. 

"Have you tried to come home during the pandemic? Might you be able to get home sometime soon?" the radio host asked her. 

"I'm literally crying, that's all it takes is like one question, sorry," the actress said through tears. 

"I'm just so homesick, it's been two years, it's the longest I've been away. I'm the oldest of five and usually at least two of my siblings come visit every year," Lynskey added. 

"It's killing me. It's just so hard with my job." 

The actress, whose latest project "Yellowjackets" is getting rave reviews, says she keeps looking online trying to find a spot in MIQ but, due to the nature of her work "it's hard to plan so far in advance". 

"I'm just praying I get a job in New Zealand," she said. 

Lynskey was on Saturday Morning with Jack Tame to talk about Yellowjackets and how passionate she is about her latest project, a TV drama about a team of talented high-school girl football players who survive a plane crash deep in the wilderness. 

The actress said she used to worry about getting good roles as she got older but, in reality, her characters have never been more interesting. 

Lynskey said she had an agent in the past who led her to believe that "if you were a particular size, and over a particular age, that was it". 

"I think that was really true for a long time for anyone other than Meryl Streep. It's just so different now," she said, adding that she's "never been fatter or older" and is "playing really interesting people". 

The Kiwi actress stars as Shauna Sheridan, one of the main characters of the TV series.