Sophie Nélisse on the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Finale & Fan Theories

Warning: main spoilers for Yellowjackets seasons one and two forward.

For the reason that first excellent PJ Harvey needle drop within the pilot, Showtime’s Emmy-nominated drama Yellowjackets has been clear in its messaging as a sequence about feminine ache and rage. Season one premiered in 2021 and was divided into two timelines: the fast aftermath of a aircraft crash suffered by a highschool women’ soccer crew (the Yellowjackets) in 1996, leaving them stranded with their coach within the icy wilderness; and fashionable instances, the place the surviving teammates are nonetheless coping with the trauma they picked up within the woods.

Professional casting bolstered near-flawless toggling between the 2 timelines; whereas the 1996 women are largely performed by relative newcomers, lots of their grownup counterparts are ’90s icons themselves, together with Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, and in season two, Six Ft Below’s Lauren Ambrose. On the heart of the story is the soft-spoken Shauna, who was sleeping along with her greatest pal and crew captain Jackie’s boyfriend, Jeff, earlier than the crash. As soon as within the wilderness, Shauna realizes she’s pregnant. By the top of season one, Jackie has frozen to demise, and in one of many sequence’ most grotesque scenes but, Shauna offers the go-ahead to the ravenous crew to eat her useless physique.

Lynskey performs Shauna within the fashionable timeline, and he or she finds herself as soon as once more having an affair behind the again of Jeff, whom she ultimately married. Younger Shauna is performed with grace and depth by 23-year-old Sophie Nélisse, a Canadian actress who, earlier than Yellowjackets, was greatest recognized for her function as Liesel Meminger within the movie adaptation of The Guide Thief. Nélisse’s Shauna comes off as mild and reserved, although her actions find yourself betraying her most self-serving aspect. After Jackie confronts her about sleeping along with her boyfriend, Shauna orders her to go outdoors the cabin the place the women have discovered shelter; the result’s Jackie’s demise.

Season two continues to take care of Shauna’s grief over Jackie, and likewise solutions the query of what occurred to the child—in a very dramatic episode, even by Yellowjackets requirements, Shauna offers start in a hallucinatory sequence to a stillborn. This confounds her trauma, and there’s a marked change in Shauna right into a a lot colder, extra indifferent particular person. (She additionally finds she has a knack for reducing up useless our bodies.) Under, Nélisse talks about how she handles taking part in such an emotionally taxing half, bonding with Lynskey, season two’s explosive finale, and what she thinks will occur within the already-greenlit season three.

How does it really feel to wrap season two?

After we put out the primary season, we weren’t certain how the viewers was going to react and the way a lot of successful it might turn out to be. So for season two, we have been all very nervous, as a result of there had been such a buzz that we actually wished to provide the followers what they wished to see. The expectations have been so excessive we may solely hope to satisfy them. I really feel like we did.

Shauna goes by a very traumatic arc this season, dropping her child and persevering with to take care of the fallout of Jackie’s demise. Do the excessive emotional stakes of the function ever get to you?

I’ve to say, I’m not very methodology, so I don’t ever carry my work again dwelling. Filming the birthing scene was very taxing and draining, each mentally and bodily. However the subject material is so touching, and I did a lot analysis going into it—speaking to girls in my life who’ve been by pregnancies and issues going properly and stuff going unhealthy. It made me notice how distinctive each single expertise is, and I wished to honor all of these totally different tales inside that episode.

What did you make of the finale and the way issues ended, with Coach Ben burning down the cabin?

I like the cut up between [Coach] Ben and the remainder of the solid, as a result of he’s the one character that is still sane, to some extent. He really hasn’t misplaced monitor of his sanity when everybody else is beginning to. The finale actually units the bar excessive for subsequent season. With the cabin burned down, I believe you’ll see us out in the actual wilderness, and we’ll have the ability to faucet into much more of that feral, vindictive, animalistic aggressiveness that we hardly ever get to see in feminine characters. I am excited to see women bodily combating.

That scene the place you beat the hell out of Lottie [Courtney Eaton] will need to have been fairly an endeavor to shoot.

We have been very excited after we received that scene. We have been like, “Oh, lastly, I get to beat you up.” We have been messing round in rehearsals, and once they referred to as motion, we went full power. Everybody was like, “Oh, you possibly can throw a punch, and you may take successful!” I imply, poor Courtney had these loopy prosthetics by the top, she was scary to have a look at. However I like that Shauna loses it and that she’s simply ice chilly. She sees Lottie’s nonetheless alive and rolls her eyes.

With the solid largely being girls, is there a pleasant vibe on set?

Courtney and I dwell collectively, so we’ve turn out to be greatest associates. Rising up, I at all times had a tough time connecting with feminine associates. I’ve at all times admired girl-best-friend relationships however I’ve by no means felt like I’ve had a very good, robust one, and Courtney has simply modified my thoughts on all of it. We actually deliver out one of the best in one another. The whole thing of the solid could be very supportive in direction of each other. After we’re on set however not in a scene, we’re at all times behind the monitor watching one another and hyping one another up.

Have you ever and Melanie Lynskey shared notes on Shauna?

Melanie and I chatted initially of the primary season, simply to lock the character down, largely the essence of her. We didn’t need to get too particular with issues like mannerisms and physique language. I don’t actually know the way we make her look so comparable in each timelines, however I assume it simply works. She’s been so sort and beneficiant, and as an actor she has this capability of doing a lot whereas doing so little. She has a sure confidence that resonates and feels easy.

Do you retain up with all of the fan theories in regards to the present?

I attempt to steer clear from the feedback part simply because in the event you consider the great ones, it’s important to consider the unhealthy ones. However the women do have a gaggle chat the place we’ll largely ship one another memes that the followers have posted. To see all of the montages that I’m tagged in on Instagram, and all the pieces followers decide up on that I haven’t even picked up on—they’re so devoted.

Do you have got every other predictions for season three?

I believe we’ll ultimately discover out the place Javi was hiding. I believe Shauna’s going to be minimize off from all of her feelings, as a result of she’s simply received nothing left. However I believe she’s additionally going to be taking cost. And I’m actually excited to see the place the Natalie character goes with the entire Antler Queen factor, and the totally different energy dynamics she’s going to ascertain throughout the group.