Yellowjackets has a lot going for it. With mysteries from the past, surprises in the present, and an amazing soundtrack, it’s easy to see why fans love the show. But if there’s one main reason people keep watching, it’s because of the talented cast.
Casting ‘90s stars like Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis was a brilliant move. The actors chosen to play their younger selves are so good that you feel like every flashback is real, except for the spooky and dangerous parts! From their past roles to their real-life relationships, here’s everything you need to know about the cast of Yellowjackets series.
Yellowjackets Cast and Character Guide: The Teenage Characters and Their Grown-up Versions
One of the coolest things about Yellowjackets is its shifting timeline. The show follows the story of the Yellowjackets soccer team after they crash in the woods, showing what happens in both the past and present. The cast of Yellowjackets, young and old, brings these two timelines to life. Keep reading to learn more about them!
Melanie Lynskey as Adult Shauna
Who is adult Shauna? Shauna ended up marrying Jeff, who used to date her friend Jackie. They have a daughter named Callie, but Shauna doesn’t get along with her very well. Shauna had an affair with an artist named Adam, but she killed him because she thought he was blackmailing her. Later, she found out that it was actually Jeff, who was struggling with money, behind the whole thing.
Where else might I have seen Lynskey before? Lynskey recently starred in the HBO series The Last of Us. She is also known for her role in Heavenly Creatures alongside Kate Winslet. Additionally, she appeared in Hulu’s Candy, the HBO comedy-drama Togetherness, and the movie The Informant. Lynskey has also acted in Netflix’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, and the comedy series Two and a Half Men.
Sophie Nélisse as Young Shauna
Who is Shauna? Shauna and the other girls from the high school soccer team got stuck in the middle of nowhere when their plane crashed on the way to the national tournament. She was best friends with Jackie, but their friendship ended when Shauna slept with Jackie’s boyfriend, Jeff, and Shauna ended up getting pregnant.
Where else might I have seen Nélisse before? Most recently, she acted in The Kid Detective alongside Adam Brody. She speaks French well and has been in many French movies and TV shows.
Tawny Cypress as Adult Taissa
Who is adult Taissa? She works in politics and won the election to become the state senator of New Jersey. She has a wife and a son, but her family starts to struggle because of her past experiences.
Where else might I have seen Tawny before? Cypress has acted in the superhero drama Heroes, the police show Unforgettable, and the crime series K-Ville.
Jasmin Savoy Brown as Young Taissa
Who is Taissa? After the plane crash, she becomes close to Van, and they start a romantic relationship. While stuck in the wilderness, she begins sleepwalking and even eating dirt, a habit that continues into the present day.
Where else might I have seen Savoy before? She has been in the legal drama For the People and Damon Lindelof’s show The Leftovers.
Christina Ricci as Adult Misty
Who is adult Misty? She works in a nursing home, but she’d be a great private investigator since she loves solving mysteries in her free time. She lives alone with her African grey parrot, who she cares about a lot. Just like when she was younger, she’s not afraid to break the rules if it helps her get what she wants.
Where else might I have seen Ricci before? She starred in Netflix’s Wednesday alongside Jenna Ortega. Some of her most famous roles include The Addams Family, Casper, Sleepy Hollow, The Opposite of Sex, and Speed Racer among others.
Sammi Hanratty as Young Misty
Who is young Misty Misty? Misty is the team’s manager. She’s an outsider who really wants to be liked, but her actions and words often push people away. Even though Misty may seem easy to control, you’ll regret underestimating her.
Where else might I have seen Hanratty before? You might have seen Hanratty in the U.S. version of Shameless, the action-drama The Unit, or the supernatural horror show Salem.
Juliette Lewis as Adult Natalie AKA ‘Nat’
Who is adult Nat? She struggles with addiction and has gone to rehab many times. In season 1, she spends a lot of time investigating Travis’s death. She also tries to end her own life, but her plan is stopped when she gets kidnapped. Nat is tough, can handle herself in a fight, and knows how to use a gun.
Where have I seen Lewis before? She’s been in Cape Fear, and August: Osage County with Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep. More recently, she appeared in the latest version of Queer as Folk and the true crime series Welcome to Chippendales on Hulu-Star.
Sophie Thatcher as Young Nat
Who is Young Nat? Nat, another member of the soccer team, is tough and doesn’t back down from a fight when she needs to. She grew up with an abusive father. After the crash, she starts a romantic relationship with Travis, who is the coach’s son.
Where else might I have seen Thatcher before? Before Yellowjackets, her biggest role was in the Quibi series When the Street Lights Go On.
Lauren Ambrose as Adult Vanessa AKA ‘Van’
Who is Adult Van? We haven’t met Van in the present day yet, so we don’t know what happened to her after she was rescued.
Where have I seen Ambrose before? Ambrose is most famous for his roles in the Apple TV+ series Servant and HBO’s Six Feet Under.
Liv Hewson as Young Van
Who is Young Van? She is another member of the soccer team. She falls in love with Taissa and almost gets killed by a wolf, but she miraculously survives.
Where else might I have seen Liv Hewson before? You might have watched Hewson in Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet.
Simone Kessell as Adult Lottie
Who is adult Lottie? A wealthy girl with schizophrenia who has visions of the future and eventually gets possessed.
Where have I seen Kessell before? You might recognize Kessell from the crime thriller Reckoning, Fox’s Terra Nova, and ABC’s The Crossing, among other shows.
Courtney Eaton as Young Lottie
Who is Lottie? She is another member of the soccer team. After her medication ran out, Lottie started having visions. Fans of the show disagreed about whether these visions were related to her worsening mental health or if she had special supernatural powers.
Where have I seen Eaton before? She acted in Mad Max: Fury Road and Gods of Egypt.
Who Else Is Starring in the Series “Yellowjackets”?
Here are some other members of the soccer team:
- Jane Widdop (Truth Be Told) as Laura Lee – She tries to charter a plane to safety but sadly dies when it explodes in the air.
- Keeya King (Van Helsing) as Akilah.
- Alexa Barajas (The Flash) as Mari.
The rest of the Yellowjackets cast includes:
- Sarah Desjardins (Riverdale) as Callie – She is Jeff and Shauna’s teenage daughter.
- Warren Kole (Shades of Blue) as Jeff – He is Jackie’s ex-boyfriend and Shauna’s husband.
- Alex Wyndham (Little Dorrit) as Kevyn – He is a detective and Nat’s closest friend from high school.
- Kevin Alves (Locke and Key) as young Travis – He had a romantic relationship with Nat while they were in the wilderness. He later dies, and the details around his death are still a mystery.
- Peter Gadiot as Adam – He is the artist with whom Shauna had an affair.
- Steven Krueger (The Originals) as Ben – He is the assistant coach.
- Rukiya Bernard (Van Helsing) as Simone – She is Taissa’s wife, and their marriage faces challenges in season 1 when Simone finds a creepy shrine in their basement.
- Rekha Sharma (Roswell, New Mexico) as Jessica Roberts – She investigates the remaining Yellowjackets.
How Many of the Yellowjackets Survived?
The first episode of the show hinted that the survivors might have to eat each other to stay alive, which includes some creepy rituals. Here’s a simple look at who we know makes it out of the woods:
- Shauna: Shauna survives the woods and marries Jeff, who used to date Jackie in high school. Sadly, the baby she was expecting when the plane crashed died during childbirth.
- Misty: Misty manages to get out of the woods, even though she annoys the other survivors. As an adult, she still longs for her teammates’ friendship.
- Taissa: Taissa survives the wilderness, but she carries deep emotional scars despite her success and wealth. As an adult, she struggles with sleepwalking and acts in ways she doesn’t understand.
- Van: Van gets attacked by a wolf in season one, leaving a big cut on her face, but she makes it out alive. In season two, we see her as an adult running a nostalgic video store that struggles to stay open.
- Lottie: At the end of season one, Lottie seems to become the Antler Queen in the woods, but season two suggests that might not be true. In the present day, she runs a wellness center that acts like a cult. Before the crash, she had schizophrenia and took medicine for her hallucinations. In season two, she appears to have it under control, but her grip on reality is still shaky.
- Travis: Travis is the only man confirmed to have survived in the woods, but he dies in the present day during season one. His death is ruled a suicide, but Nat believes someone hurt him.
- Nat: Nat survives 19 months in the wilderness but struggles with addiction as an adult. When the series starts, she is leaving rehab, which Taissa paid for. After nearly taking her own life, she ends up at Lottie’s place.
Why Is Yellowjackets So Popular, and Is It Worth Watching?
Yellowjackets is super popular because it mixes mystery, drama, and a little bit of horror. The story is about a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the wild, and they have to survive for a long time. This means they face tough choices, which keeps viewers in suspense.
People love discussing the show and sharing their theories online, making it feel like everyone is part of a big conversation. The characters are relatable, and their struggles make the story even more interesting.
Conclusion
In Yellowjackets, the cast plays a big role in making the show exciting. Each actor brings their character to life, showing how the survivors deal with their scary experiences. With a talented cast of Yellowjackets, viewers get to see a mix of drama, friendship, and mystery.
As American Netflix adds Yellowjackets to its library, it will be available to watch from October 1. To find more shows besides Yellowjackets, you can check out our guide on, The Dragon Prince, Elite Season 8, Star Trek: Prodigy, Crew, Gangs of Galicia, and more.