‘Yellowjackets’: Christina Ricci Talks Misty Quigley’s Evolution, That Leather Jacket, Her Complicated Walter Bond & The Show’s Shifting Arc [Interview]

From the moment Christina Ricci showed up as Misty Quigley in Showtime’s hit series “Yellowjackets,” audiences weren’t sure whether to laugh, scream, or cringe. But by season three, one thing is clear: Misty has become the unlikely moral compass of the group, even if that moral compass occasionally leads to kidnapping and murder.

Speaking with The Playlist, Ricci reflected on Misty’s evolution, her growing sense of purpose, and how the character has shifted in surprising ways over the show’s run. “When we started the series, we had a more extreme view of Misty than I think where everybody’s gotten to at this point,” Ricci said. “It turns out… she has a pretty strong moral compass. It’s just calibrated in a different way.”

Throughout the conversation, Ricci also talked about Misty’s shifting dynamic with Shauna, the emotional impact of Natalie’s death, and the story potential in Misty’s pre-crash childhood. And yes, she weighed in on the possibility of Misty and Walter reuniting — or becoming full-on enemies. Plus, we discussed her recent time on “Wednesday,” revisiting old roles, and what the younger generation of actors might teach her.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Also, here is a spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen Season 3 of “Yellowjackets.”

Let’s talk about Misty Quigley and her journey this season, which has been pretty significant. She’s always been an outlier, even before the Yellowjackets’ time in the woods. But it’s become clearer this season that her outlier status might be good. How did reading all these scripts and performing these scenes change the way you saw Misty, if at all?
When we started the series, we had a more extreme view of Misty than I think where everybody’s gotten to at this point. It definitely feels that way in the writing and everything. I talked about her being a sociopath. We talked about her being immoral in a way. And it turns out, through the writing and everything I’ve seen in her evolution, that she has a pretty strong moral compass. It’s just been calibrated differently because of her past experiences and the line crossing that went on when she was young and they were out in the wilderness.

And it’s interesting—yes, she has murdered people. She kept Jessica Roberts kidnapped in her basement, and it looked like she’d done it before. But it also doesn’t seem like she’s a person who does that out of any personal satisfaction. It doesn’t seem like she’s a sadist. She wears her biggest flaw and most significant need on her sleeve, this desire to be liked, this desire to be included. But she doesn’t seem as driven by ego and id as the others ultimately are.

And it’s a wild swing to have Shauna, who was the de facto way in for many audience members, now viewed as more dangerous than Misty. That shift is fascinating to watch. How fun is it to see that happen?
It is exciting. And it’s funny because, you know, it’s fascinating to see it illustrated that the scariest thing about any Yellowjacket isn’t just what they do—it’s why they do it. Shauna seems to be getting to the point of enjoying it. So it’s like this idea of intention. And that I think is fascinating.

Misty’s relationships seem to oscillate between genuine connection and manipulative control. How do you interpret her motivations in those dynamics, especially as they become more strained?
Well, I don’t think Misty has either of those things you described. I don’t think she ever has a genuine connection. And I don’t think she wants it. That’s her entire drive. That is her weakness. That is her flaw. She wants to be accepted. She wants to be liked. But she’s also a person who spent so much time being isolated and alone that I’m not sure that she’s capable of actually connecting anymore.

Even when it almost happened with Walter, I think she turned away because it’s just so uncomfortable for her. And then beyond that, when she doesn’t get what she wants out of a situation, she tries her hardest to make what she wants happen. But I don’t really feel like the relationships that she has are as deep as the history she has with these women. That history, that trauma bond, is what she has in place of true connection.

That’s also reflected in her wardrobe this season, specifically the leather motorcycle jacket. It feels like an evolution of Misty. How much do little details like that inform your performance?
Well, you know, the reason that she’s wearing the motorcycle jacket is to be closer to Natalie. She does make a decision at a certain point in the show that she is going to, in Natalie’s name, figure out who’s to blame for everything. I think solving Lonnie’s death for her is also her way of solving who’s really responsible for Natalie’s death. And I think her wearing that jacket allows her to be a little bit less like the Misty we’ve seen in the past. It becomes part of her.

I still find myself rooting for Misty and Walter, even though they may be bad for each other. Do you think she ever lets Walter in?
I don’t really know. I think that the reason she turns away from him is what I was saying before—somebody who’s lived so long not having a genuine connection, even if that’s what they want, it would be so uncomfortable for her. And then afterwards, he does engage in a bit of post-separation abuse. I’m not exactly sure how much we can say like, “Well, he did it because he loved her.” I’m not so sure we’re going to go with that one.

But that dynamic does mirror some of Misty’s own behavior in the series—the manipulation, the need for control.
Yeah. Like him strategizing to destroy her investigation as a way of making her want to turn back to him? Ruining any happiness she has so she’ll fall back into his arms? That’d be so healthy. Not healthy at all.

Do you know when you’re back for season four?
No, nobody’s told us. They just picked it up last week.

Do you have a sense of how much of the original arc is still in place? Has the plan shifted over time?
Well, Ashley and Bart and Jonathan always tell us that everything is always changing, and everything is always fluid, and everything is always subject to change. What was said to me when we first shot the pilot, and what has happened in the past three seasons, it does seem like things have changed. Bart once said, “We don’t make the show in a vacuum.” So yeah, things shift.

Are there parts of Misty’s life you’d still like to explore?
I wonder about her childhood before they were stranded. I wonder about her parents. I wonder what that whole thing is. That, to me, is interesting.

Tou’ve been acting since you were a child, as have some of your co-stars. Do you all swap war stories?

We talk about it in terms of what it was like in our 20s. Elijah is the only other person who was really working as a young child among the adult cast, and we knew each other when we were kids. I just realized the other day that Sophie Thatcher has been working since she was very young. I’d be curious to talk to her more about that.

Seeing Jenna Ortega go through the “Wednesday” whirlwind, do you feel compelled to offer advice, or is it a totally different experience now?
I think the industry has changed so much and so quickly that I don’t know what it’s like anymore for that to happen to a young woman. In some ways, I feel like to understand things now, you almost have to talk to the younger generation. I don’t know that any of my experience actually pertains to the experience someone would be having right now.

Interesting. It wasn’t explicitly spelled out whether Laurel Gates is dead in the Wednesday universe. Do you think we’ve seen the last of her? Or would you want to even continue that?
I had such a wonderful time on that show. I’d be happy to be a part of anything they wanted me to.

I was paging through your IMDb. There are so many favorites for fans, but personally, are there any that you’d want to revisit and see what they’re up to now?
I really loved playing Dee Dee in “The Opposite of Sex.” I think that would be a fun part to revisit.