The success of Yellowjackets was a real surprise, the series gathered more than 5 million weekly viewers and received seven Emmy nominations and already, a third season is announced.
This series, very strange, is between the drama, the horror, the supernatural, and even the gore. Sophie Nélisse plays Shauna, one of the players of the New Jersey soccer team whose plane crashed in 1996 and who survives, with others, in the wild forest, for 19 months. At the same time, we follow, 25 years later, the lives of these women, forever marked by this tragedy.
PHOTO KAILEY SCHWERMAN, SUPPLIED BY SHOWTIME
Sophie Nélisse, in the foreground, with some of the members of her soccer team, who survived the crash of their plane in the middle of the forest, in the series Yellowjackets
A very intense second season
When the second season begins, it’s winter, they’re hungry, the hunt in the forest yields nothing, the tension mounts, and the young girls sink over the episodes. “That’s what fascinates viewers, because they wonder how far they can go. Will they eat each other? When do we lose the card? When do we no longer live within the norms of society and return to the wild state? asks Sophie Nélisse. “In the series, the coach brings us back to reality, but we are so hungry that anything is possible… Honestly, I couldn’t survive in the forest for long… or maybe I’ll be the first to eat someone else ! I would be too hungry! “, she says, laughing.
Shauna, the character played by Sophie Nélisse, is pregnant, we see it in the trailer, but the fans of the series are so intense that they launch theories on the web. “The fans know more than me! Are we going to eat the baby? That’s the question they ask themselves and I can’t reveal anything at all! “, she says.
In Yellowjackets, we explore the harshness of human relationships in extreme conditions, those of survival, where violence is very present. “It’s rare to see women who are so violent with each other, and that’s what we explore even more in this second season. The rivalry, the clans that form, the ferocity and aggressiveness between the young women. And what is beautiful is to see this feminine force as much in its greatest darkness as in its beauty. We’re in solidarity, but we’re also going to betray each other… just as much, there are scenes of mutual aid, then scenes of extreme violence… yes, it’s gore, I shot scenes that I I find it hard to watch,” she admits.
It is also about the social hierarchy which is different when you find yourself lost in nature. “The hierarchy is not related to the money or the popularity of the person, but rather to his instinct for survival. We will bet on the person who will be able to make us survive, and that evolves over the season. »
Sophie Nélisse confides that she is very rational and was surprised by the supernatural side of the series.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Sophie Nelisse
This is what people prefer! When we’re on the verge of killing each other, people love it! So that reassured me and as an actress, I play the animal side even more.
Sophie Nelisse
In addition to Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci and Mélanie Lynskey, there are Elijah Wood and François Arnaud who are added to the cast. This second season was shot in Vancouver, almost entirely in the studio, a very different experience from the first which was shot in the middle of the forest, in this same region. “The chalet scenes were shot in the studio and what is ironic is that we were very hot, whereas we must be cold in the middle of winter! We must have been tense with the cold, but we were sweating! explains Sophie Nélisse.
An experience that pleased her since in the evening, she returned to an apartment she shared with the actress Courtney Eaton who became her friend. “In the forest, we stayed in a small, not very comfortable hotel, in the middle of nowhere, while there, I had the feeling of having created a life for myself in Vancouver for six months. I started doing pottery, I also did Pilates, it was really nice to live in the city. »
Sophie Nélisse will find the team of Yellowjackets this week in Los Angeles for the promotion and premiere of the series.
Multiple projects and loneliness
On the cinema side, Sophie Nélisse plays in the film by Louise Archambault Irena’s Vow, where she plays a nurse who risked her life to save Jews during World War II. “We shot in Poland a few months ago. It’s so important to make films like this, where it’s about the Second World War, while right next to it there’s the war in Ukraine. »
Sophie Nélisse wants to expand her artistic circle, she writes a screenplay in her spare time. “I write, I would also like to produce a film, it’s important for me to continue to learn, to cultivate myself, perhaps to take classes one day. Acting is the most unpredictable thing, it can stop anytime, I’m aware of that,” she says.
“In the industry, I am inspired by Kate Winslet, for her performances as an actress, by Jake Gyllenhal, for her diverse films, and by Denis Villeneuve, for all his films. One of my biggest dreams is to shoot with Denis Villeneuve. »
The young actress will celebrate her 23rd birthday at the end of the month and believes that the year that has just passed has been busy. “It’s great, everything that happens to me, but it’s also a lonely life, sometimes I feel like I have no anchor. There’s anxiety associated with not always knowing what’s coming, and living between two cities. In Montreal I live with my mother, my sister, and my brother who lives just above, we are very solid as a family and that’s what I miss the most when I’m abroad. At the same time, I love my job, I’m pampered, you have to learn to have a balance in this way of life. »
Season 2 of Yellowjackets premieres on Crave starting March 24.