[Editor’s note: This piece contains spoilers for Yellowjackets‘ April 11 season finale.]
Sophie Nélisse has hooked viewers with her moving performance as teenage plane-crash survivor Shauna Shipman since Yellowjackets first premiered back in 2021. But in the thriller’s third season, the actor faced one of her most difficult challenges yet: selling Shauna’s transformation into the villain of the Canadian wilderness. After spending months grieving the death of her best friend Jackie (Ella Purnell) and the loss of her son, Shauna gets consumed by her anger, embracing the worst parts of herself as she overthrows Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), the group’s leader, and implements a reckless, fear-based agenda. By this week’s finale, “Full Circle,” Shauna is thriving in her new role as Antler Queen—and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to maintain power, even if it means sabotaging the girls’ first real opportunity for rescue or sacrificing one of their own to “the Wilderness.”
The A.V. Club spoke to Nélisse about Shauna’s dark turn, her character’s convenient belief in a higher power, that “Pit Girl” reveal, and what comes next on this rollercoaster of a series.
The A.V. Club: This season Shauna completes her evolution from sympathetic underdog to antagonist. What was it like getting to explore this new side of her?
Sophie Nélisse: I think we’ve been hinting towards it for a while. She’s not hated but so feared in the adult storyline that I assumed there would be a turning point in the show. And it’s been really fun because it’s such a different side to her; it’s a completely different arc. We’ve seen her, like you said, [as] somewhat of the underdog and in Jackie’s shadow and in a lot of grief. What I love about the older Shauna [is] that we’ve been able to see her dark sense of humor—and we love and hate her at the same time. And I think we wouldn’t accept this sort of behavior from Shauna had she not been through everything that she’s been through, and it gives so many layers to her. So, it’s been really fun to not only tap into more anger and dominance but also just to be able to have some funnier lines where she has that dark sense of humor that we haven’t been able to see thus far.
AVC: Shauna steadily gains power this season, and in the final few episodes, she dethrones Natalie as the Antler Queen. But time and time again, we see that power alone is not enough for Shauna: She has to humiliate and drag others down along the way. Why do you think that is?
SN: I think it’s because she feels so much remorseand guilt and responsibility for what’s happened in the past and I think that weight is just so much to carry on her shoulders. She is at a place where she only has hatred for herself, therefore she needs to channel all of that grief and heartache, and that’s by putting that onto others. A saying that is so true is “Hurt people hurt people.” And because she carries all of that hurt, it makes her feel better about herself to bring other people down and humiliate other people.
It’s so scary because, thus far, everything she’s done had been out of survival and wasn’t necessarily her fault. Like Jackie’s death and cutting up Javi, those are just nature unraveling itself. But this season, everything she’s done is out of spite and is her own doing, and I think these are the events that will probably haunt her the most growing up.
AVC: It often seems like Shauna is living out her fantasy of being Jackie—or, if we want to get really Yellowjackets about it, of living in Jackie’s skin.
SN: That’s interesting; I guess I’ve never seen it that way. I think it’s somewhat different because Ella’s character lacked self-awareness. I don’t think her queen bee came out as intentional or in a way of hurting others. She deeply loved Shauna and cared for her, and the relationship was complicated because there were things that were left unsaid that created resentment on both sides. And it’s why that relationship got so intertwined and complicated—just because female relationships at that age are complicated. But I don’t think it ever came from a place of malice.
Whereas Shauna definitely steps into Jackie’s shoes in a way of being in charge and being in power and being the driving force of the group, but it stems from a different place where she is cruel this season—again, because of all the hurt and everything she’s been put through. But there’s a sense of [her] being a little more intentional and also a little more selfish than maybe Jackie was.
AVC: Let’s shift gears to the finale and specifically to the hunt. Shauna has been skeptical of the power of “It,” but she signs off on the ritual, insisting the girls must “show the Wilderness [their] respect.” To what extent does Shauna actually believe there’s a supernatural entity guiding their path?
SN: I don’t think Shauna believes there is one.She shares a common interest with Lottie, and we see that relationship build this season. I think they like themselves better out there. Lottie’s driving force is maybe because she thinks there’s this higher power. But [for] Shauna, this has shaped who she’s become, and it’s a space where she can embrace a side of her she’s buried her whole life. Because she feels so alive out in the wilderness, and I don’t think she wants to go back to a society where there’s social norms and rules and where she has to obey. I don’t think she believes there’s a higher power, but Shauna is incredibly smart and wants Lottie on her side, and this is just a way of manipulating the group into being the leader. She knows how to give them what they want in order for them to listen.
AVC: What’s interesting about that moment is that Shauna doesn’t necessarily have to agree to the hunt. She’s already in control of the group, and she’s just as likely to pull the Queen of Hearts card as anyone else. If she doesn’t believe in the Wilderness, is there any part of her that’s concerned she could be the victim? Or is she going to figure that out if the moment comes?
SN: I think she’s just going to figure that out if the moment comes. Despite her sense of manipulation and revenge, she’s still someone that believes in fairness and honesty. And she’s just fearless and reckless. So she’s not thinking, “I’ll be spared because the higher power will spare me.” I think she’s like, “If I’m meant to die, I’ll go out with honor. I’ll go out fighting.” They’re so disconnected from morality, and she’s so driven by darkness at this point, that even if she had to be chosen to die, it’s thrilling almost. You see it in the present when she gets to hold a gun again. There’s a darkness inside her that makes her feel so alive. So, I don’t think she’s concerned about being chosen; she just wants to feel something.
AVC: In the finale we learn that “Pit Girl” is Mari [played by Alexa Barajas], which is something fans have been theorizing about for years. And you’ve said that the cast was equally invested in that mystery. What was it like to finally learn that it’s Mari who’s killed and eaten in the series premiere?
SN: It’s so heartbreaking, especially because Alexa’s been so tremendous this season. I believe that as heartbreaking as it is to see her leave, it’s a testament to the work she’s done. You don’t kill off characters that no one cares about, because no one cares about them. It just speaks to how she’s really been able to shine in this [season with] a more in-depth arc. Which is what made it so hard when we were like, “No, not Mari!” Because now we’ve grown to love her and care for her. It’s always weird because these girls, we’re like family to one another, so whenever a character has to go, it leaves a big hole within the group.
AVC: As you mentioned, Shauna has shed whatever was left of her “normal” or “boring” self from before the plane crash. In your mind, has Shauna reached the point of no return, or is there a path to redemption for her?
SN: [For] myself, as Sophie, I always think there’s a path to redemption. There’s a reason why we do the things we do, and hers is having undergone so much loss and grief. I think everyone deserves a second chance. And it doesn’t mean what she’s done is okay or that it can be forgiven. But having done what you’ve done, now you’re in control of the future and your actions. And not perpetuating those actions is already a step forward. I do think she’s definitely crossed a line, and these actions are all intentional; there’s no reason of survival behind it. These are the ones she won’t be able to forgive herself for, but [I] would be like, “You can forgive yourself, at a certain point.” But none of these girls will be able to forgive themselves, which is why they still lead such messed-up lives.
AVC: The finale ends on the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers: the possibility of rescue, courtesy of Natalie. Have creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who have a five-season plan for the show, given you any sense of what might be next for Yellowjackets?
SN: They haven’t, and they are always very mysterious. They never give us any details. We literally get the scripts a week before shooting the next episode. So, I have no idea.
I mean, I know we get rescued, and I’m very curious to see if it’s the people that Natalie’s made contact with. Like, how is that going to divide the group? Because back in episode eight, [we see] who wants to stay and who wants to go. Obviously, Jackie died naturally, and Javi almost [did]. But the scientist…are they all going to agree on how he got killed? Are they going to need to kill the other scientist? The lines get very blurry, and that’s what I’m very excited to dive into. And I’m very excited to see them getting back in society and navigating relationships with partners and friendships and reintegrating in school and being in the public eye and this overnight fame. How are they going to cope with that? There’s a world of possibilities.
AVC: So we are going to see a post-rescue world. Or are you just speculating?
SN: I’m just speculating, but I think so. I would imagine this next season being a bit in the wilderness and then their rescue, and then season five being them back home. But that’s just me guessing.
