“They’re Kind of Thriving”: ‘Yellowjacket’s Sophie Thatcher on Natalie’s Reign as the Antler Queen in Season 3

Yellowjackets crashed into the zeitgeist in late 2021. Both a massive critical and audience hit, the Showtime series is known for magnificent performances and an edge-of-your-seat, ever-twisting plotline. Two major standouts in the show are Sophie Thatcher, who you can catch opposite Jack Quaid in Companion, and prolific television actor Kevin Alves (recently seen in Netflix’s No Good Deed). Now, the story mercifully continues with Season 3 this Valentine’s Day on Showtime and Paramount+.

While flying over Canada in 1996, a plane crashes deep in the wilderness with a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team surviving, stranded for 19 months. Yellowjackets follows the team as they stay alive after the crash, as well as 25 years later, tracking the effects of their trauma. Thatcher plays Natalie Scatorccio, often outcast by the other survivors, existing along with Alves’ Travis Martinez in their on-again-off-again relationship. They co-star alongside Melanie Lynskey (The Last of Us), Christina Ricci (Wednesday), Sophie Nélisse (Two Women) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream VII).

Collider’s Erick Massato had the pleasure of sitting down with Thatcher and Alves at 2024’s CCXP to talk about the newest season of their hit show, the evolving dynamics of the group, how Natalie’s appointment as Antler Queen affects her moving forward, and what it’s like as an actor to freak out hearing things from the trees. Check out the full video above or the transcript below.

‘Yellowjackets’ Stars Tease a Shocking Season 3 Ending

COLLIDER: Yellowjackets is back. We’re here to talk about Season 3 with the new Antler Queen herself and the tree whisperer. How are you guys?

SOPHIE THATCHER: Good. It’s amazing being here.

KEVIN ALVES: Yeah. Super excited.

Good! The first question is for both of you. What are you most excited for people to see in Season 3?

THATCHER: I think the ending is really shocking to Season 3, and that’s all I’m going to say. You’ve got to wait for it!

ALVES: I’m really excited for that mid-season point. You know what I’m talking about. It’s going to be really cool to watch fans react to what comes this season.

Kevin, can you talk a little bit about how this new dynamic of the trees screaming at his ears is going to affect him throughout the season?

ALVES: I don’t think he even really, truly understands what’s happening to him, and I think that’s the tough part. I think he’s really going to lean into trying to figure out what’s going on with him, push away against it, but be intrigued by it. I think there’s going to be a lot of conflict for him about how he’s going to deal with this new thing that he’s feeling. I can’t say it’s going to end well for him, but we’ll see.

Natalie Makes a “Lot of Improvement” as the Antler Queen

Lottie appointed Natalie as the new Antler Queen. In the first two episodes, she kind of takes the reins of the group. Do you think she’s doing this because she really wants to, or is she playing into Lottie’s B.S. because she wants to see how far this goes?

THATCHER: I don’t think she wants it. There was a moment where she felt really seen when Lottie gave her the crown, but now she’s restless and doesn’t want the job because it’s so much, and it’s so overwhelming being with these girls and doing all of that. I don’t think it’s the best job in the world.

ALVES: She’s good at it, though.

THATCHER: She is good at it. You see that in the first episode. She’s done a lot, and they’ve made a lot of improvement.

Yeah, there was a huge transformation, right?

THATCHER: Yeah, they’re kind of thriving. I think this is the best point you see them at, which is interesting.

ALVES: Not for long.

THATCHER: Not for long. It goes downhill.

Will The Group Ever Unite As One Again?

There’s clearly a divide going on in the first couple of episodes. Can you talk a little bit about that? Do you feel that this divide is natural, or do you think that they have some chance of forming a united group again?

THATCHER: There’s no chance.

ALVES: No.

THATCHER: Shauna and Natalie are really butting heads because she wanted to be Antler Queen. She thought because she endured so much that she should have had that. But instead, Natalie has it, so that’s really a lot of tension.

ALVES: Yeah, and then you’re dealing with people who feel like they have something to live for and want to be back, and the whole other side of this. There’s too much conflict now for it to come back to a cohesive group.

Intense Emotions (and Freaking Out) Made For A Tough Shoot

What were the most difficult or most challenging scenes that you had to perform in Season 3?

ALVES: For me, since we play in the beginning a little bit, it was definitely when he’s listening and hearing things and freaking out. It was it’s impossible to know as an actor if it was terrible or good. [Laughs] It’s impossible with that stuff. So, that was tough to shoot. But, looking forward to seeing it.

It works, I can tell you.

THATCHER: There are some scenes mid-season that are really emotional for Natalie, and it’s incredibly hard for her. That was hard as an actor.