Sophie Nélisse had studied childbirth scenes from the series The Scarlet Maid and movie Juno, in preparation for filming the second season of Yellowjackets.
The Quebec actress opened up to New York Times on the chilling birthing scene from the sixth episode of the season, released last week.
Disclosure warning: Sophie Nélisse’s character, Shauna, is forced to give birth to her child in an abandoned cabin in the middle of winter.
To prepare for filming, the actress studied childbirth scenes from the series The Scarlet Maid and movie Juno, at the recommendation of Liz Garbus, who directed the episode. Between takes, she drank tea with honey and lemon to soothe her throat, irritated from having shouted too much.
Sophie Nélisse did not expect the baby to survive, she told the American daily. Still, the scene was tough to shoot for everyone.
“It was not just Sophie who was crying, I was crying and her colleagues were crying,” said Liz Garbus. “We all felt deeply about this horrific loss and this sense of betrayal, fear, grief and anger,” she added.