TV See Yellowjackets stars in exclusive portraits from EW's cover shoot The Yellowjackets cast previews what to expect from their characters as the hit drama prepares (an even more extreme) season 2. By Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill Samantha is a writer based in Los Angeles. Television is her one true love, and she tweets about it. A lot. EW's editorial guidelines Published on March 2, 2023 01:00PM EST Close Christina Ricci as Misty on 'Yellowjackets'. Photo: Matthias Clamer/Showtime 01 of 19 Samantha Hanratty as Misty Samantha Hanratty as teen Misty on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME It seems Misty has a bit of good news! "She gets a best friend this season," Hanratty previews. "Her focus shifts to having this person. For the first time, she's getting a glimpse at what it's like to have a bestie." 02 of 19 Christina Ricci as Misty Christina Ricci as Misty on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/Showtime Friendship is a huge part of what drives Misty as an adult. "She feels incredibly protective," Ricci says of Misty's feelings toward the other survivors. "These are her sisters. These bonds are forged by going through something that nobody else has experienced. It's a dysfunctional family." 03 of 19 Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa Jasmin Savoy Brown as teen Taissa on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME When season 2 picks up, things in the wilderness are... different. "Everything is more settled," Brown says. "We've kind of all landed in our reality and then it's like: What are they gonna do now?" 04 of 19 Tawny Cypress as Taissa Tawny Cypress as Taissa on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME Season 1 ended with the reveal that there's another side to Taissa, one she might not be super aware of. Or perhaps she is. "She's the complete opposite from season 1," Cypress says of Taissa's season 2 journey. "I think you've got two more shades of crazy coming at you." 05 of 19 Sophie Thatcher as Natalie Sophie Thatcher as teen Natalie on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME "She has a lot of levels," Thatcher says of her character. "You are able to see that lightness. But I'm just excited to explore more like within her darkness and when she starts to lose her moral foreground, which happens later in the season." 06 of 19 Juliette Lewis as Natalie Juliette Lewis as Natalie on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME "Natalie's very stuck in who she was in the wilderness," Lewis says. "As this season unfolds, she's just this composite of shame, guilt, and seeking of redemption." 07 of 19 Liv Hewson as Van Liv Hewson as teen Van on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME As for how Van has changed this season, Hewson says: "We start to see her dig her heels in a bit more. Van is quite protective and really interested in keeping everybody safe. What I'm excited about is this edge that we start to see a little bit more from her." 08 of 19 Lauren Ambrose as Van Lauren Ambrose as Van on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME Ambrose describes adult Van as being "stuck" in the past. "The experience that they've lived through is just so defining. It would be impossible to shake no matter how much time has gone by," she says. 09 of 19 Courtney Eaton as Lottie Courtney Eaton as teen Lottie on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME Lottie might have emerged as a leader in season 1, but even she isn't sure what comes next. "When we find Lottie at the beginning of the season, she's kind of accepted where she's been put. But I don't know how well that's going to go," Eaton says with a laugh. "She's someone that has these highs and lows." 10 of 19 Simone Kessell as Lottie Simone Kessell as Lottie on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME Meanwhile, in the future, Lottie has worked hard to be someone different. "Charlotte has completely recreated herself," Simone Kessell says. "She is in control of her life. She's healed." 11 of 19 Sophie Nélisse as Shauna Sophie Nélisse as teen Shauna on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME Losing her best friend, Jackie (Ella Purnell), will haunt Shauna. But it will also free her up in some ways. "She starts to find her voice a little more now that Jackie's out of the picture," Nélisse says. "There's an inner darkness that she's finally letting shine a little more." 12 of 19 Melanie Lynskey as Shauna Melanie Lynskey as Shauna on 'Yellowjackets'. Matthias Clamer/SHOWTIME For much of her life, Shauna "tried to contain herself in the smallest, safest bubble possible to avoid getting in trouble," Lynskey says. But this year, she'll reconcile with the fact that "she doesn't think she's been a very good mother." 13 of 19 The Wilderness 'Yellowjackets' stars Kevin Alves, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Nélisse, Mya Lowe, Liv Hewson, and Jenna Burgess in season 2. Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME "The Wilderness becomes more of a character and a presence this season," co-showrunner Ashley Lyle says. "But it's really also exploring our characters' relationship to it more than allowing it to be this objective force. We're trying to play with the subjectivity of how they're relating to the Wilderness. Some of them would put it in caps and some of them wouldn't." 14 of 19 Love story Van (Liv Hewson) and Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) on 'Yellowjackets' season 2. Colin Bentley/SHOWTIME When season 2 picks up in the middle of winter, it's going to test everyone. "We're gonna eat the remainder of this bear as slowly as we can and try very hard not to think about what is next," Hewson says with a laugh. "I think everybody's in this place of just trying to get through the day. It's freezing and we've established this shaky domestic ritual with each other." 15 of 19 On the hunt Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) and Travis (Kevin Alves) on 'Yellowjackets' season 2. Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME "It's given her some new profound purpose," Thatcher says of Natalie's role as the group's hunter. "She has to fully go for it because it's winter and she's faced with reality every day. That makes her different from the others because she's faced with the practical tasks — getting food — and that's what's keeping her going. She's just focused on survival." 16 of 19 Married life Melanie Lynskey as adult Shauna and Warren Kole as Jeff on 'Yellowjackets' season 2. Colin Bentley/SHOWTIME Warren Cole and Sarah Desjardins were so great as Jeff and Callie in the first season that the writers decided to incorporate them into the story more moving forward. "There is a lot more Shauna and Jeff," Lynskey says with Lyle adding, "Warren Cole and Sarah Desjardins are both so good, which gave us even more leeway this season to delve into their characters, even apart from Shauna." 17 of 19 The darkness within Simone Kessell as adult Lottie on 'Yellowjackets' season 2. Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME Lottie might appear to be at peace on the outside, but she's struggling just as much as the rest of them. "She's created a way to push that darkness down," Kessell says. "These women are all truly damaged." 18 of 19 Opening up Christina Ricci as adult Misty on 'Yellowjackets' season 2. Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME Misty is finally ready to open up. "The amount of emotion we see from her is different this year," Ricci says. "We don't play the facade as much as we did for season 1." 19 of 19 No going back Lottie (Courtney Eaton), Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Taissa) on 'Yellowjackets' season 2. Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME "If season 1 was about our teen characters learning to adapt to their harsh surroundings, season 2 is where it all just really explodes," co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco says. "Each one of them is going to make choices that they never dreamed possible."