[This story contains major spoilers for the Yellowjackets Season 2 finale, “Tell the Story.”]
Sophie Thatcher is relieved because Yellowjackets has landed. It’s been swirling in her mind for a long time, and the double whammy ending for Natalie’s character isn’t an easy secret to keep. So, she told a few of her friends.
“They were hyping it up, but I was like, ‘You can’t tell anyone!'” she told The Hollywood Reporter, Speaking shortly before May episode release. Asked which spoiler she shared – for teenage or adult Nat – Thatcher said of both: “It came to me in a package.”
Thatcher in 450 Wilderness schedule of the hit Showtime series. In the penultimate episode, her character makes the decisive decision to have Javi (Luciano Leroux) die in her place after Queen of Hearts; Young Survivor, before Feast Jackie (Ella Purnell), has decided that whoever draws cards, all will be eaten by sacrificing the rest of the hungry group. As Nat continues to flee and Javi tries to help her, he falls through a crevasse and drowns, while Nat and the others actively decide not to rescue him, becoming complicit bystanders in his death. “She’s going to live with this guilt for the rest of her life,” Thatcher told THR Opened her options last week.
Now, with Ameni Rozsa writing and Karyn Kusama directing the highly anticipated finale “Telling the Story,” it turns out the wilds are back. ( Spoiler alert at the end! )
In the finale timeline, the main reveal is Lottie (Courtney Eaton) rooting for Nat as Queen of Antlers . After recovering from a brutal beating by Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), Lottie tells everyone the wilds chose Nat as the their true leader. “I never wanted to be in charge,” Lottie said in part . “Maybe what it wants us now is a leader who can help us survive the rest of the time, not me. The wilderness chose who to feed us. Already chose who to come Lead us. Otherwise how do we explain what’s going on there? We want to kill you. It won’t let us. Nat gets crowned — except for Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) aside, everyone in the cabin bowed to him as their new queen – effectively playing on the heels of modern intuition that no one expected :
adult Natalie, played by Juliette Lewis, by accident Died.
Her death was tragic. Simone Kessell)’s wellness community reunites and finds themselves back in their ritual ways), Natalie ends up dying in a self-sacrifice attempt to save Lisa (Ni Maynes), Lisa is a follower of Lottie whom Nat has approached. Misty (Christina Ricci) intends to stab Lisa with a lethal dose of phenobarbital to save the group again, but Nat jumps into the line of fire, Get injections instead. Not only is Nat killed by her best friend (accidentally), And the recovering addict’s death was covered up as an overdose; meaning Nat, in a tragic twist of fate, died the way many might think she would have if they hadn’t known about her personal triumph in season two
Thatcher said that when future Nat got the script, her death came as a devastating blow to her, despite Lewis not long ago Her departure has been confirmed to her younger counterpart. The pair bonded through their shared role in Yellowjackets and when Thatcher asked Lewis At the time of the rumors, they were doing a press conference together for season 2. While she said she was excited to see Lewis’s next move as an actor, she was still dealing with the tragic end of losing her mentor and their characters, just as she was becoming Like the long-awaited Queen of Antlers on the show: “That’s what makes her who she is. Also, the guilt is really heavy.
Below, Thatcher opens up the climax of the second season finale, returns to the plane behind the scenes that filmed her and Lewis’ final scene and looks into the future of young Nat, which now has a Due date while waiting for season 3 to start amid ongoing writers strike .
The writers locked down the Yellow Jackets plot. But, you know the arc of this season How many lines? Given this huge ending to Nat, do you know more ahead?
I don’t know anything. I do There will be tension between Nat and Lottie. The writers told me about that bathtub scene[ Between them on episode 4 ]. They say they’re excited about it: “It’s simple, but Down to earth, going back to their roots. But the only thing I really know is that she turned into a huntress this season, more like an outcast.
So when you got the script the penultimate episode of Turning Point , do you know what happens next in the ending?
No, I don’t think any of the younger actors do that. Juliet [Lewis] had a feeling she might be leaving. There was some talk. When When we were making episode eight, we did this New York Times interview together, and she finally said, “Yeah, I’m going to move on. I continue. She told me at the time. I think I heard it through some rumours. Then we finally got the script, and read the form. And, it’s really frustrating!
The two of you have become close because you share this role. I’ve read your texts about the script, and I know you talk a lot about how to play Nat. What was it like for you to discover her fate, and what was your conversation like afterward?
This is very devastating. And, I’m glad she’s been able to work on different projects and explore different roles as an actress. Since Natalie is such a difficult character emotionally, I can’t imagine doing another three seasons or something [Note: The creators have a plan for five seasons ]. I’m not saying she’s incapable, but she wants to explore and I’m excited for her; she’s already doing a lot of movies. However, I think it’s really tragic for our character. Everyone goes through a lot, but Nat is the one who accepts it all most intensely, letting it live and bubble up inside her, so it’s really sad. I haven’t really thought about it yet because we don’t know when season 3 starts, but there’s no that kind of guidance… I know she’ll always be a connection, but there’s no direct [direction], everyone else has that, and now I was deleted. She gave me so much confidence as a performer and artist that I will carry with me my whole life. But everyone has a hard time having older peers and being alone!
Juliette Lewis Sophie Thatcher (Sophie Thatcher) as Natalie in “Tell the Story”. Kelly Schwarman/SHOWTIME
This must be a roller coaster of script reading. What was it like seeing for the first time that you are now Queen of Antlers?
At first I didn’t really realize that this was officially into Queen of Antlers. We were always texting in the group chat and Courtney [Eaton] was like, “Ah, the throne has been taken over, Sophie!” I was like, “What the fuck does that mean?!” This was when I got to the script Before. ( LOL .) So I didn’t fully process it, but then I read it a second time. It’s really exciting to see. Like we said, That’s probably why she’s the Natalie we see. She’s been through so much, and now she’s carrying even more guilt. She will carry more guilt [as the leader of the group] and she will continue this journey of self-destruction. However, I am very happy to see such a transformation. I think it will be more interesting and entertaining to play as an actor in future episodes. So, aside from the Juliet part, it’s exciting in the end.
In Lewis’ final Natalie transit scene, you’re on the plane with her. You tell her, “This is exactly where we belong. We’ve been here for years,” and I think it’s in this life-and-death place. What message did you send her?
I think because she has distanced herself, in and out of these suicidal feelings, thoughts, I think my character is talking about when she lets When you go to the wilderness by yourself. Like in the last episode, with Javi. She has let herself go. She was already going to live with that guilt and it would be evil and tear her apart. It’s going to be her whole life, so I think she’s referring to that particular moment. Because that’s the start of what we’ll see more of. but say “we have been here, we have been a man far from ourselves”; it has been 70 Year. It’s been so long. So I think there’s a sense of acceptance. so sad!
So sad. Plus she doesn’t seem to be having suicidal thoughts at the end. This is self-sacrifice.
Yes. She tries to protect Lisa and sees a future in Lisa. She is the bigger, braver person. This is not suicide. It’s funny that’s how it happened because I think everyone wanted her dead. If she died, it would be suicide. And, not like that. It’s less obvious. Accidental overdose is a very tragic event. It was a total freak accident. It wasn’t her choice to overdose, it was still her death from the drugs that haunted her for the rest of her life. There’s some weird stuff that I really like. It was very unexpected – and it came out of nowhere the fuck! So, it works.
Do you have any questions for the writers? I know they’re not going to talk to you about the future, but have you ever sat them down and asked: Why Natalie?
No. (laughing.) There are so many of us. Most of the time, I don’t want to bother them! I’ll keep doing my job – hopefully I won’t be written off. (laughing.) I spoke with [director] Karyn Kusama before filming the finale. It would be great to have her back. She directed the pilot and is closely related to the show and the character. She’s been there from the beginning; as an executive producer, she’s very popular and a great fit. TV wasn’t always like this. We had a conversation beforehand: This is the turning point. This is what makes her who she is. Also, the guilt is really heavy. I remember leaving that conversation really excited, but also nervous for next season.
I’ve talked to a few of you about the Queen of Antlers, if it’s a person or a symbol for something bigger. Courtney Eaton said it could be up for grabs too; just because Nat is anointed doesn’t mean it will Stick to it.
Exactly. I think it’s going to disrupt the team dynamic anyway. Regardless, it will be exciting. But that doesn’t mean she’s taking over the role entirely. Because, you don’t see her reaction after that scene. I think there’s a sense of accomplishment and she feels like everything she does is being seen. So I think she’s going to try to hold on to it instead of completely ignoring it or throwing it away right away. But I think the group’s reaction will be bad. I think there’s going to be tension between her and Shauna because Shauna obviously has put up with a lot and feels like she’s the natural person for that role. I think it’s just causing more conflict. Not that things are going well, but they have a leader that people agree with, and now everything is messed up. People don’t even like Natalie that much. They trusted her, but she didn’t give them what Lottie gave them.
Have you ever wondered what role Nat might have played in those “Pit Girl” flash-forward scenes in the pilot?
I really do not know. For her, being the one who makes people do it feels like a stretch. I think there has to be a huge build later in season 3 or 4. For this to change, a lot has to happen. However, anything can happen on this show. I didn’t expect her to have this transformation. It’s interesting about the Queen of Antlers and what it represents. I wish I could say something poetic, but – I don’t know!
Was the plane the last scene you filmed with Juliet? The last scene we did was burning the hut. But Juliet’s final scene, yes, is the plane. It’s emotional. It’s kind of scary. They cut that—it was probably too creepy—but at the end of that sequence, Javi and I started laughing at her. The scene ended with her screaming and crying and we were all laughing at her. The shoot just didn’t feel right. terrible. I would apologize after every take, “I’m so fucking sorry. Are you okay? That’s not what I meant!” (Laughing.) So when I watch By the time they cut it, it was fun. But I understand. Because that was such a powerful moment, and then they used Radiohead for most of the season [“Street Spirit (fade out)” to play Nat’s death scene. ] In the last shot they did use, Nat seemed to reach some level of acceptance. right. Laughter takes that away. There is fear in it, but there is already too much of it, so it may feel like too much. But, that was a sad day. I just wanted to give her space because you’re going to such a crazy place full of horror and screaming, and it’s emotionally hard to get there, especially when my character isn’t helping and I’m laughing at her. What was your conversation like after filming was over, did the two of you say goodbye or was it more of a “see you later”? Yeah: See you later. I don’t know when our next press conference is, but now with social media, I see all her posts and she sees mine. We will be connected. She is not far from me; I will visit. We know Nat will be left in the dark after being rescued. When you see her save Lisa at the end, do you think this choice makes sense? Does it make you hopeful about how her story ends? The sad thing about her, especially in all the characters, is that everyone is made to fight their own demons, but Natalie The situation may be the worst. And I think her surrender and self-sacrifice are so pathetic because I also have so much courage and admiration for what she did. At first I read it as she gave up, but it’s far from it because she’s already crossed that threshold. She’s already done everything wrong in life and I think this is the beginning of a new chapter for Lisa and the end of hers. Did you see it coming while you were reading it? No. ( LOL ) I was like, wow. In the show’s mythology, you could say she was brought back to life after luring the Queen of Hearts and trading Javi to the wilds. Do you think that has had an effect on her perception as an adult that she’s on borrowed time? Lease on life, this is a really fun way to put it. Because I think everyone feels that way at some point. Because everything is such a huge unknown, you never know when people might switch. But with Natalie, it really should be her. Someone who was close to her, someone younger and more alive, eventually left. So I think it’s the extreme guilt that she’s been living in, that’s been building up, and I think it’s a release. The season ended with the cabin burning and the survivors homeless, leading into season three. We spot Instructor Ben (Steven Kruger) outside the cabin and run over with supplies. It didn’t end well when people continued to flee. Curious about their dynamics! Because they were once two outcasts and points of contact. They only have each other. And he was afraid of her now. Or, starting. You see that shift. After that scene, she’s looking through a different lens. She has a different point of view, and he sees it quickly. Some of your like Sophie Nélisse Such co-stars have talked about separating after you’re over and not taking the show home to shoot. What do you think, will Natalie be with you between seasons? The first season was really hard for me because it was in COVID and then leaving. They are all my best friends. I think when I’m around Natalie, I naturally fall into things that are close to Natalie. It’s not Method actory, but subconsciously, I’m into it. I’m better this season. But it’s fun to go into other characters and try to start from scratch, not so chaotic and heavy; I’ve done it for Natalie for so long. But I have to get rid of it because a lot of other characters don’t need to be that heavy. Natalie is a very specific way of speaking; there’s a lot of things about her that I’m happy to see her play in other characters, something that’s the polar opposite. something fresh. slidely different. That’s the hardest thing for me; auditioning and being a blank slate. You have fear Boogeyman is here. Will you be doing a rom-com soon? It’s funny because once you start preordering these things, people are like, “Oh, she can do it, let’s give her another Watch a horror movie!” We’ll see. I don’t think I’ll ever do really easy projects because I like challenges and heaviness. I’m drawn to it. But maybe one day, a rom-com! Season 2 is streaming now, with the final episode airing Sundays at 9 p.m. on Showtime. Keep up with THR’s Yellowjackets Season 2 coverage and interviews .
