It’s hard to beat season 1 of Showtime’s hit series Yellowjackets, but it seems like fans are in for another round of twists and turns as season 2 recently debuted on March 24. Not only are viewers elated to learn more about the characters, but Sophie Nélisse, who plays teen Shauna, believes this season is going to be “more chaotic and dark” this time around.
“I think the stakes are higher with it being wintertime now, and with my pregnancy, I haven’t gotten any food in a serious amount of time,” the rising star, 23, exclusively tells GRAZIA USA, referring to her character being with child. “At first, we weren’t sure exactly to what extent we could tap into the super naturalistic ailments since we weren’t sure how the audience would react. But once we saw that the fans were so committed, we were like, ‘We’ll give them what they want and go full force!’ It was great to be able to tap into the darker side and dive in.”
As for how the Canada native gets into the right frame of mind, she believes in learning as she goes, just like her character would. “By the end of the season when we got into almost an animalistic vibe, we would sometimes huddle up together and howl, scream and grunt to get us going,” she recalls. “I thought that was so weird and funny. I was like, ‘What is my job?'”
The series, which debuted in November 2021, quickly found a following after viewers started watching two timelines play out. Yellowjackets focuses on a wildly talented group of high schoolers on the soccer team who survive a plane crash in the wilderness. Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher and Sammi Hanratty star as the teenagers, while Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis portray their adult counterparts as they reveal where they all stand 25 years later after the traumatic incident.
Nélisse admits she doesn’t get to see much of the other cast since they don’t cross paths often. However, she’s been able to chat with Lynskey, who plays her character in adult form. “I’ve had a few conversations with Melanie about the character, but we honestly end up talking about our personal lives!” she quips. “But it’s been a real pleasure to be able to work with everyone. All of my costars are so talented, and I can really learn from them as an actor. I think Sophie [Thatcher] has this ability to use her body language, and she just fills up the space in the scene. I always feel like I don’t know what to do with my hands and I don’t know where to stand. It’s been interesting to look at these girls and see their different acting styles. It’s so captivating.”
For Nélisse, she has a great time getting to play such such a “complex” character. “She offers such a wide range of emotions, and she has this dark side I admire. What I love about her is she has this inner strength and darkness. I think she’s craving this sense of liberty and freedom that make her do things that aren’t always good, but we love her for it. The most challenging part this season is the whole pregnancy since I’ve never been pregnant. It’s hard to portray something you haven’t been through yourself. In preparing for the role, I spoke with a bunch of women and learned from their experiences.”
During the first season, Nélisse wasn’t sure where everyone’s storylines were headed — and it was unclear if it would resonate with viewers. “We were balancing this fine line of, ‘What is the theme of our show? Are we horror? Are we drama? How dark are we trying to go with this?’ We knew we were tapping into cannibalism at some point, but were we keeping it more realistic or are they disconnected from reality?'” she says.
Fortunately, the series was a bonafide hit, going onto to be nominated for seven Emmy Awards. Despite Yellowjackets covering some triggering topics, Nélisse notes the dark humor makes it all worth it. “It’s fun to see people laugh a little and hold onto these moments of laughter where you think you’ll need some tissues,” she says. “I hope everyone can find a character that they relate to and that speaks to them. We offer a wide range of unique people that all have these different traumas and issues — and they also have different ways of reacting to what’s happening to them. I hope everyone can find someone who gives them a voice somehow.”
“It’s been really cool for the show to take off. I come from more of a film background, so this has been a whole new experience. People are so committed and they will pick up on things in the show that I didn’t even pick up on. There’s so much creativity, it’s crazy! It’s been very overwhelming, but it’s really been an honor for people to admire your work — and to be on a show that has such recognition is amazing. Everyone is so devoted and committed to making the best show they can, and they give it their all.”
When Yellowjackets started picking up some nominations, the 47 Meters Down: Uncaged lead was taken aback. “There had been some good buzz, but you never know,” she states. “I think I shed a tear when we got our nomination. We were just so excited. My team was so excited when I booked the part, and our producer said, ‘Sophie, this is going to be huge.'”
In her younger years, Nélisse was involved in gymnastics, but her brother wanted to be an actor, so when he signed up to get into an agency, she thought she would take a stab at it, too. “Pretty early on I did my first feature and I got my foot in the door which allowed me to start working more. It was all uphill from there!” she says.
Now, she couldn’t be happier with where she’s landed. “I know it’s cliché, but everything happens for a reason. I auditioned for this project The Wilds a few years ago, and it kind of has a similar storyline to Yellowjackets, but I am pretty sure if I had booked The Wilds, I wouldn’t have ben on Yellowjackets. It’s always hard in the moment to get rejected, but I think everything happens for a reason and you have to trust the process. The process is important — there’s ups and downs. If you haven’t had times where you feel desperate or feel down, you won’t grow and get better. It’s all worth it in the end.”
It’s been an “interesting” change for Nélisse to now dive into the TV world, but she’s up for the challenge. “I find the pacing of TV and not having the same director throughout the season hard to adjust to. I don’t have as much time to work on a scene and sometimes I leave feeling like I could have done better. But sometimes you end up doing scenes for hours and hours. It’s such a collaborative process I enjoy,” she shares.
“I want to do a mixture of both going forward,” she adds of the two mediums. “It’s about bringing variety to my work. I want to do as much comedy as I want to do drama as I want to do action. There’s so many roles out there that would be so fun to play, so I want to have the opportunity to do as many projects that get me out of my comfort zone and that are different.”
When asked what her ideal role is, she immediately replies, “White Lotus would be my dream. I like that dark cynical sense of humor, and I think it’s so funny. I enjoy watching that the most, and it’s what I would enjoy doing the most.”
Though she can be a her own worst critic, Nélisse is “proud” of how far she’s come — and is looking forward to many more roles down the line. “I’m enjoying where I’m at. I am far from where I want to be, and I think even if I get to where I want to be, I’ll still feel far from where I want to be. I recently had a moment of gratefulness and gratitude for this crazy journey I’ve been on since I was 10.”
New episodes of Yellowjackets stream on Fridays and airs Sundays at 9 p.t. ET on Showtime.
