The Last Of Us' Melanie Lynskey Got To Shoot Her Real-Life Husband In Episode 5

Melanie Lynskey is everywhere these days, and TV is all the better for it. The actress' hot streak (Lynskeyssance? We'll workshop it) is in full effect thanks in part to recent performances on "Yellowjackets" and "The Last of Us, " both of which juxtapose Lynskey's soft-spoken demeanor with an unexpected ruthlessness. That ruthlessness is put on display in Episode 5 of "The Last of Us," in which Lynskey's Kathleen, a vengeful revolutionary, and her militia are bombarded by the series' biggest crowd of infected yet.

The terrifying climax took four weeks to shoot and enlisted between 10 and 15 stunt actors ready to emerge from the ditch, as well as 60 extras in gruesome infected makeup. One performer who participated in the chaos as one of the cordyceps-infected monsters was Lynskey's husband, Jason Ritter. An actor himself, Ritter received an Emmy Award nomination for his role as Mark Cyr in "Parenthood." But as Lynskey said in an appearance on "The Tonight Show," participating in stunt work was a longtime dream come true for Ritter.

Jason Ritter is known for his comedic and dramatic roles alike, whether it's serving up yuks on "Another Period" or his unsettling performance in "The Tale." As a stunt performer on "The Last of Us," the fungus-covered actor is unrecognizable. "He trained with the stunt people, and he just did all these amazing stunts," Lynskey explained to Jimmy Fallon. "He got put in the makeup and he came out of the ground and was falling over and doing all these [stunts]."

As a member of the herd of clickers, even Ritter wasn't safe from Kathleen's wrath. "I shot him once," Lynskey recalled in a fit of laughter. "Why not." Ritter didn't seem to mind. When a "Last of Us" fan shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the actor on Twitter, Ritter replied, "Just the best day."

Lynskey plans on continuing her Take Your Husband to Work Day efforts in earnest; Ritter is set to guest star on an episode of "Yellowjackets" Season 2.