YellowJackets is a psychological thriller and survival drama series on Showtime about a teenage girls’ soccer team stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash. The story is conveyed through a timeline containing a series of flashbacks that switch between the memories of past events and the present lives of survivors. The surviving members are depicted by a cast of counterparts who must work together to individually portray the teenage and adult version of each character; including Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nelisse as Shauna, Juliette Lewis and Sophie Thatcher as Natalie, Christina Richie and Samantha Hanratty as Misty, Tawny Cypress and Jasmine Simone Brown as Taissa
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Yellowjackets was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and premiered on Showtime on November 14, 2021, to critical acclaim for its storyline and cast performances. The series received nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and won at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Final Draft Awards, Gracie Awards, Hollywood Critics Association Awards, and Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Yellowjackets was renewed for a second season in December 2021, which will premiere March 26, 2023; and a third season was renewed in December 2022. The main and recurring characters of the series include Shauna Shipman, Taissa Turner, Jackie Taylor, Ben Scott, Jeff Sadecki, Misty Quigly, Natalie Scatorccio, and more. From the adult versions, to the teenage counterparts of each character in the series, here’s a complete guide of the cast and characters of Yellowjackets.
Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nélisse as Shauna Shipman
Paramount Global Content Distribution
Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nélisse star in Yellowjackets as the adult and teenage versions of the character Shauna Shipman, a member of the WHS soccer team who survived the plane crash. As a teenager, Shauna was a straight A student, accepted to Brown University, whose struggles to express and deal with her feelings that continue into adulthood. Her life changes when the events that occurred in the wilderness after the plane crash are threatened to begin unraveling. Lynskey is best known for Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Don’t Look Up, and more. Nélisse is best known for her roles in Monsieur Lazhar, Pawn Sacrifice, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Mean Dreams, and 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, among others.
Juliette Lewis and Sophie Thatcher as Natalie Scatorccio
Juliette Lewis and Sophie Thatcher star in Yellowjackets as the adult and teenage versions of the character Natalie Scatorccio, a team member with a rebellious spirit, who always finds trouble. Natalie had a rough upbringing and grew up in a run-down trailer home with an abusive father who accidentally killed himself in front of her after a physical altercation. As an adult, Natalie experiences difficulty coping with what happened during her time in the wilderness after the plane crash. Lewis is best-known for The Switch, August: Osage County, Ma, The Firm, Wayward Pines, Secrets and Lies, The Act, Welcome to Chippendales, and more. Thatcher appears in Chicago P.D., Prospect, When the Streetlights Go On, The Tomorrow Man, and The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+, among others.
Tawny Cypress and Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa Turner
Jasmin Savoy Brown and Tawny Cypress perform in Yellowjackets portraying Taissa Turner, the star player of the soccer team whose plans to go nationals were destroyed by the plane crash. As an adult, Taissa campaigns for state senator of New Jersey, with plans to “lead New Jersey out of the wilderness and back to the economic prosperity we all deserve.” Her political ambitions threaten to reveal the secrecy pact made among the plane crash survivors. Cypress also appears in The Blacklist, NCIS: New Orleans, Bull, FBI, The Code, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, Billions, The Equalizer, and more. Brown has appeared in NBC’s Grimm, Freeform’s The Fosters, HBO’S The Leftovers, ABC’s For the People, Scream 5, Camp Harlow, Forgotten Hero, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Christina Ricci and Samantha Hanratty as Misty Quigley
Paramount Global Content Distribution
Christina Ricci and Samantha Hanratty perform in Yellowjackets, portraying Misty Quigley, the equipment manager of the soccer team who is a geeky, people-pleasing outcast. After the plane crash, Misty receives praise and acceptance from the team for her abilities to care for and restore the health of wounded survivors. As an adult, she still retains the same characteristics, which developed into a passion for working in a nursing position where she can help people. Ricci most recently appeared in Distorted, 10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up, Percy, Here After, The Matrix Resurrections, and Monstrous, among others. Hanratty has appeared in Drake and Josh, iCarly, Shake It Up, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Pushing Daisies, The Vampire Diaries, and Shameless.
Ella Purnell as Jackie Taylor
Ella Purnell appears in Yellowjackets as Jackie Taylor, the seemingly perfect, charming, and popular team captain, who has been best friends with Shauna since childhood. Jackie doesn’t make it to adulthood because during her time in the wilderness, she stopped eating, isolated herself, and ultimately chose to freeze to death. Purnell debuted in the dystopian film Never Let Me Go, and since then has appeared in Maleficent, Kick-Ass 2, and Army of the Dead. She is the voice of Jinx in Arcane, Netflix’s adaptation of League of Legends, and Gwyn in the Paramount+/Nickelodeon animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. She has also appeared in Ways to Live Forever, Candy, Wildlike, Intruder, Belgravia, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Churchill, Ordeal by Innocence, Sweetbitter, and more.
Simone Kessell and Courtney Eaton as Lottie Matthews
Simone Kessell and Courtney Eaton appear in Yellowjackets as Lottie Matthews, a rich girl suffering from schizophrenia, who experiences precognitive visions and eventually becomes possessed. Yellowjacket’s Showrunner Jonathan Lisco said, “We will bend over backwards to make sure that [mental illness is] not conflated… [It’s] something about her psychiatry and her makeup that is causing her to act in a certain way, [and is] conduit of an energy, a dark force, larger than she is.” Kessell appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Our Flag Means Death, Reckoning, The Crossing, Of Kings and Prophets, Terra Nova, and most recently the film release Muru. Eaton has appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road, Line of Duty as Ava, Cheedo the Fragile in Mad Max: Fury Road, and Gods of Egypt.
Lauren Ambrose and Liv Hewson as Vanessa (Van)
Lauren Ambrose and Liv Hewson appear in YellowJackets as the adult and teenage versions of Van, a central member of the teen girl soccer players known for her bright smile. On casting the adult counterpart of Van, Lisco revealed, “I will hit the buzzer and say, I think it’s safe to say that we have not met all the survivors.” Ambrose has also appeared in Six Feet Under, Torchwood: Miracle Day, Can’t Hardly Wait, Psycho Beach Party, Sleepwalk with Me, Where the Wild Things Are, and several performances on Broadway. Hewson is an Australian non-binary actor and playwright, who has successfully worked in Hollywood since 2013, having appeared in Before I Fall, Top of the Lake, Inhumans, the Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet, and more.
Steven Krueger as Coach Ben Scott
Steven Krueger appears in YellowJackets as Ben, the assistant coach and sole surviving adult, whose fall from power is a key storyline in the show. Krueger said, “I’m always holding out hope. What you have come to expect from the show is, expect the unexpected. I think everyone expects him to bite the dust. That might happen. I have no idea, but I definitely know there is a possibility we see Ben Scott down the line. From an acting perspective, it’s fun to play with the unknown and drop hints in my performance to keep the audience guessing." Steven’s first major role was performing on The Originals as Josh Rosza, followed by appearances in Pretty Little Liars, Workaholics, Parenthood, Two And a Half Men, and more.
