‘Yellowjackets’ Cast Breaks Down Filming Shauna’s ‘Difficult’ Onscreen Stillbirth Episode, Discuss ‘Intense’ Process
Warning: This story contains spoilers from season 2 of Yellowjackets.
The Yellowjackets cast opened up about how the group came together to film Shauna (Sophie Nélisse)'s emotional stillbirth episode.
Samantha Hanratty recalled being "worried" about how not only the cast — but the crew — would handle the difficult subject matter. "[They're] people that people might not always advocate for as much as they do for the actors," the actress, 27, who plays young Misty, exclusively told Us Weekly at PaleyFest. "I was more worried about [how] you never know what somebody's gone through. And [the crew is] stuck on set having to go through this. So, my whole thing was making sure that everybody was in a safe space."
During the episode, which aired on Friday, May 5, Shauna went into labor while the group remained stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Misty used her medical knowledge to help Shauna deliver the baby — which is what the Showtimes series initially led the viewers to believe happened.
Shauna's memories about the first days of motherhood — and a shocking moment where her friends seemingly ate her baby — were revealed to be hallucinations. The high school student regained consciousness only to find out that her infant didn't survive.
According to Hanratty, the show relied on experts to help film such a heavy story line. "Everybody was OK. We had an intimacy coordinator [to address the] very heavy topics that people actually go through on a daily basis. I know it's hit my family with loss before like that. So, I think that just being cautious of each other, being there for each other, being loving toward each other was very, very important," she continued. "And just having a lot of care toward ourselves and toward everybody."
Meanwhile, Liv Hewson recalled checking in on Nélisse, 23, throughout the process.
"Filming that episode was interesting because we all knew that we had to have each other's backs a lot. Everyone in particular was very focused on supporting Sophie — making sure she had everything she needed," the Australia native, 27, who plays teenage Van, detailed to Us. "So, it was intense, difficult days, but we were all really locked in and really keeping each other afloat."
Hewson, who prefers they/them pronouns, referred to the experience as "rewarding" as an actor, adding, "[It is] intense. And it was a hard, challenging week, but I'm very proud of the work we all did."
Before the episode premiered on Showtime, Nélisse warned fans to prepare for darker sequences in season 2.
“There are scenes that are graphic, to say the least, and I remember just doing it, and [the cast] all sat and looked at each other, and we were like ‘What the f—k are we doing. Like, literally, what the f—k are we doing,” the Book Thief star, who plays teen Shauna, said during a panel in December 2022. “You’ll look at it, and you’ll understand, but I don’t think you’ve ever seen such a scene in TV before.”
The Canada native noted that episode 6 affected her on an emotional level, telling Variety that same month, “When I read this specific episode, I remember being terrified. I read it, and I was like, very excited, and then immediately sobbed. I was talking to my psychologist, and I was like, ‘I can’t do it, I’m not good enough for this.’ I was freaking out.”
Yellowjackets is available to stream on Fridays and airs on Showtime Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
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With reporting by Stephanie Webber
