'Yellowjackets' star Christina Ricci recounts filming 'torturous' finale scene

Yellowjackets season two concludes with a familiar twist: the death of a major character, just like in the first season.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Christina Ricci expressed her devastation over filming the scene, highlighting the strong bond the cast share.

We were all really devastated by it,” Ricci says. “We’ve all bonded like sisters at this point. We’ve been through so much. We’ve had fights, we’ve reconciled, really like sisters. It was devastating, shooting that scene, holding Juliette while she dies…. It was torturous.”

This time it was Natalie Scatorccio, played by Juliette Lewis, who meets her demise in the present day. The finale episode, titled "Storytelling" and directed by Karyn Kusama with a script by Ameni Rozsa, takes the adult Yellowjackets into the wilderness where they give in to their savage instincts.

As they prepare to carry out a ritualistic sacrifice, Natalie's attempt to defuse a tense situation goes awry when Misty, portrayed by Christina Ricci, accidentally injects her with a lethal dose instead of her intended target.

“It was really hard. Sometimes when you’re shooting a very emotional scene and there are ten other cast members who don’t have to cry and can just joke around and have fun, it makes it really hard! You have to be in this place. It was difficult, getting to where I needed to be. But Karyn was so amazing, and worked with me and Juliette about how to execute it in a way that was the most helpful. But it was tough. It was really upsetting.”

Showtime’s time-shifting paranormal thriller follows a high school soccer team that gets left high and dry in the Ontario wilderness following a plane crash.

Yellowjackets received seven Emmy awards in the drama categories in 2022, including nods for series, lead actress (Lynskey), supporting actress (Ricci), directing (Kusama).