Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 4 saw Shauna make a key decision that seems to seal the unfortunate fate of one original character.
The end of the last episode saw the girls in the wilderness finally catch Steven Krueger's Coach Ben Scott. Episode 4 sees them put him on mocktrial, as they try to prove his innocence or guilt in the eyes of their makeshift community.
Just as it seems that Coach might make it out the other side, Sophie Nélisse's Shauna makes a power play and convinces just enough people that Coach deserves to die—turning the tides and officially sentencing him to a still-unknown but most certainly cruel (and likely fatal) fate.
The Direct sat down with Nélisse to break down Shauna's big episode and how fans might feel about her character.
Shauna Just Sentenced Coach Ben Scott to (Probable) Death In Episode 4
"I Don't Think She Actually Thinks He Did It..."
- The Direct: "Now, a big point in Episode 4 is the trial of Coach [Ben]. And Shauna, you know, she really hates that man. Why does she feel, I mean, there's obvious reasons, but just in your own words, why does she feel so determined to have him burn for something that he probably didn't do despite any evidence that is being thrown her way?"
Sophie Nélisse: I don't think she actually thinks he did it, or I don't think she's actually pondered on the question and reflected on how she feels about it. I think she just sees it as such an easy target, and her way, again, of like, her goal is to gain leadership in the group, and she sees it as an opportunity to manipulate these girls and to put pressure on them, to sway their vote.
And I think at the end, when she manages to do that, it's just confirmation for her that she can actually convince these girls, and she is the real leader. And so I think for her, it's more about that.
But I think that's what's so interesting; she's so focused on her own agenda that when reality hits her that she's maybe sentenced an innocent man to, we don't know what fate, I think that's a line that she will have crossed that I don't think she'll ever be able to forgive herself for.
- The Direct: "Is there anything at all you think he could have said to sway her, or was that a doomed cause from the start?"
Sophie Nélisse: I think she's just already so far in her own world, and, I mean, he delivered the most beautiful performance. And when he looks at Shauna and says, I'm sorry for your baby, every time we were doing that scene, I had to snap out of it because he delivered such a beautiful, honest, and raw performance that it made me tear up.
And I was like, wait, Shauna is not in that head space. She's not allowed to feel emotional about this. But I mean, if the way he delivered that doesn't get to Shauna, I don't think anything else could.
- The Direct: "That whole mock trial, it seemed like a lot of fun to film. How many conversations were there during the process of just figuring out how much these girls would actually know about how that process would work, and if they maybe had things slightly wrong, or just forgetting things entirely?"
Sophie Nélisse: Yeah, it was a very interesting episode, because when we read it, we were like, this is so brilliant. But it also could be it's like a double-edged sword where it could be either the most boring episode, because it's all one location, it's only dialogue, or it could be the best episode.
And we were so lucky to shoot with Jennifer Morrison, who is like one of the most brilliant directors, the way she crafted that episode. And [she] thought about, there's this whole thing about where the girls are seated, and the way that she shot the episode, like, the camera setups meant something.
But, again, it's very subliminal messages that the audience will receive. They won't even notice that they're taking that in. It's shot through the perspective of either people that think he's guilty or not guilty. She incorporated so much like movement within the girls that we just don't see that in the back, but that brings such a flow and, again, in like movement and change, without us even realizing that we, as an audience, our vote is swaying back and forth from one camp to the other.
So, there were a lot of discussions about that, and in every scene, we were like, Okay, where's your stance now? Because I think a lot of these girls, [their] stance does sway within the episode, and there's this constant back and forth. Because I don't think we ever will really know if he burnt the cabin or not. And I think it's not even about that. It's not even finding out about the truth. It's like, the morality of it, even if he did or didn't, like, what do we do with him?
So, we definitely had a lot of discussions about that. And in every scene, like in our body language, and who we're playing eye contact with, that had signification about where [someone's] stance was in that specific scene. And I love it because I think the audience will realize it without even knowing that they are.
Yellowjackets Star Sophie Nélisse on Reuniting With Ella Purnell
"I Don't Think We'll Ever Have a Season Without Her."
In Season 3, Episode 3 of Yellowjackets, the girls are on the hunt for Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) in this formerly hidden cave when they come across a poisonous gas that gives them some wild hallucinations.
After having their own personal nightmares, Shauna, alongside Melissa (Jenna Burgess) and Akilah (Nia Sondaya), end up together in what seems to be a shared vision where they are reunited with Ella Purnell's Jackie (who died at the end of Season 1)—only for Shauna to eventually have her throat cut before the trio eventually come to.
- The Direct: "You get an incredibly wild nightmare sequence where you also get to reunite with Ella Purnell. What was it like filming that, and how awful was it to be covered in so much fake blood?"
Sophie Nélisse: I did not think there would be so much fake blood. I really just thought they were like, it was gonna drip a little bit here [and there]... You don't really know what to expect because it's like VFX, and you only get two takes, which is always kind of fun because it's a bit nerve-wracking, and you don't want to mess it up.
And then the blood just started pouring. I was covered, and I get a little queasy around anything that's, like, medical. So, I definitely felt a little lightheaded after the scene, but it was really fun.
And having Ella is always a treat. It's always fun to have her back. And every time she leaves, we're like, it's fine, she came back to haunt us in Season 2, and she'll be back in Season 3, and she'll be probably back in Season 4, and season like—I don't think we'll ever have a season without her. So it's always fun to have her around. And, yeah, those dream sequences were really fun to shoot.
It's nice sometimes to—we don't really get any alone scenes... We never really stray away from big group scenes. So it's fun to sometimes find that collaborative work, one-on-one with the director, and that's what I got to do with Jonathan. And shooting in the lake, which was a completely different set.
And also, set decoration people [on the series are incredible], the tunnels that they made were so incredible. I can't believe that people make that with their hands. It blows my mind. And it was fun for us also, because when we were all in there, it did feel very, very cramped and like we could barely [fit]. We were all one on top of each other. And so it felt like the stakes were truly, really high because it was kind of pitch black, and we're all screaming on top of each other.
And so yeah, it was a really fun episode to shoot. And I love that our show kind of balances the more grounded reality with the more, not magical, but, like, the psychological side where we walk a fine line of it being real or not, or is there something bigger? Or is it really just, you know, they're so sleep-deprived and food-deprived that their minds are just losing it?
How Sophie Nélisse Deals With The Negative Voices on the Internet
"I Don't Go on Social Media to Check What People Have to Say About My Character."
- The Direct: "I think it's not a surprise to say Shauna is not necessarily the most likable character for audiences because of just what she's doing. She's causing chaos. And, obviously, there are plenty of reasons why, but it's going to, you know, incite reactions fans, and fans can be pretty loud. And part of me feels like they might be really loud after what you did to Coach. I'm just wondering for you, as an actor, how do you take in those loud, dissenting voices from the void of the internet, and how do you process them? Or just, how do you deal with all of that noise?"
Sophie Nélisse: Quite frankly, I don't read them. I don't go on social media to check what people have to say about my character because, at the end of the day, it's a character... And I love a villain. Honestly, I love hating [villains]... That, to me, is so much more real. And the thing is, it's not about, like, to me, that's what's beautiful about Shauna, is she's not bad.
I think the saying is so true that hurt people, hurt people. And I think that everyone who commits things that they regret or shouldn't have done, it comes from somewhere that's so much deeper and profound because they were wounded. And so I think it's so much more. I mean, as an actor, it's so fun to be able to explore that depth and all of those layers behind a character that's pushing them to do all these immoral things.
And I think that's why I love her, no matter all of the horrible acts that she's gonna commit... And if the audience can't find it within them to like her despite all of her flaws. And I also think it's fun to see villains because they depict reality. The world is filled with, again, not good or bad, but different moralities.
And I also think that it's not because certain events don't necessarily define you; there's always room for change and to get better or to introspect or retrospect on what you've done. And so, yeah, I don't really read them. And if they don't like her, choose another character.
Yellowjackets Season 3 is now streaming on Paramount+ and airing on Showtime every Sunday.
More of The Direct's conversation with the show's cast can be seen here!
