CBS (Showtime) is firming up the cast to their new drama survival horror series, Yellowjackets, and it’s looking very promising indeed. The series will follow a group of hugely talented high school girls’ soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. Playing out over two time periods, it chronicles the group’s descent into warring, cannibalistic clans, as well as their attempts to piece their lives back together again, 25 years later. With acclaimed actresses Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci now confirmed as the latest additions to the already stellar lineup, Yellowjackets promises to be unmissable TV.
Juliette Lewis as Adult Natalie
Award-winning actress Juliette Lewis began her TV career in 1989 as Audrey Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Two years later, she achieved international acclaim (as well as Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations) in Martin Scorsese’s remake of Cape Fear (1991). Since then, she’s worked in numerous independent and arthouse films, earning various awards and nominations along the way. Running alongside her movie career has been an equally successful one in music; in 2003, she formed the band, Juliette and the Licks, who reunited in 2015 after a 6-year hiatus.
Christina Ricci as Adult Misty
Christina Ricci’s big-screen debut came in 1990 as Cher’s youngest daughter, Kate, in the 1990 film Mermaids. The following year, she won her breakthrough role as Wednesday Addams in Barry Sonnenfeld’s The Addams Family, a role she reprised a couple of years later in the 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values. In 1997, Ricci made her move into adult roles with her portrayal of Wendy Hood in Ang Lee’s, The Ice Storm. She continued to enjoy success throughout the 2000s, appearing in the likes of The Gathering (2003), The Man Who Cried (2000), and Bless the Child (2000). Of screen, Ricci is married to dolly grip James Heerdegenm. The couple has one child, a son named Freddie.
Ella Purnell as Jackie
23-year-old actress Ella Purnell began her career in theater, starring in the 2008 production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. In 2010, she made her big-screen debut as Young Ruth in Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go, a role she quickly followed up with parts in Intruders (2011), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), Maleficent (2014), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), and Churchill (2017). In 2018, she landed her first lead TV role as Tess in the Starz show Sweetbitter.
Sammi Hanratty as Young Misty
24-year-old actress Sammi Hanratty began her career in 2005 with the role of Adele in Passions. She’s since appeared as Chrissa Maxwell in An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong, Whitney Brown in the film The Greening of Whitney Brown, Holly in seasons 2 and 3 of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and Kassidi on Showtime’s television series Shameless.
Sophie Thatcher as Young Natalie
After studying musical theater at a performing arts school, Sophie Thatcher made her film debut in the 2015 short, Growing Strong. She’s since appeared in Chicago P.D. (2016), The Exorcist (2016), Prospect (2018), Chicago Med (2018), and The Tomorrow Man (2019), as well as various stage productions such as Oliver, Seussical, The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Secret Garden.
Sophie Nélisse as Shauna
Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse had her sights set on becoming an Olympian gymnast, but after winning critical acclaim for her portrayal of Liesel Meminger in The Book Thief (2013), she decided to pursue a career in acting instead. She’s since enjoyed huge success (and numerous accolades) for her performances in Mean Dreams (2016), Worst Case, We Get Married (2017), The Rest of Us (2018), and Les Coloriés (2019).
Steven Krueger as Ben Scott
Steven Krueger made his big-screen debut in the 2011 TV move Madison High. Since then, he’s appeared in various films and TV shows but is best known for his roles as Joshua “Josh” Rosza on The Originals and Davidson on Goosebumps.
Amy Okuda as Cat Wheeler
30-year-old actress Amy Okuda began her career as a dancer in various television commercials and music videos. In 2007, she made her move into professional acting with a role in Californication alongside David Duchovny. That same year, she won her first lead role as Tinkerballa in the comedy web series The Guild. She’s since won recognition for her roles in How to Get Away with Murder (2015-2016), The Good Place (2016- present), Atypical (2017- present), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2017).
Melanie Lynskey as Shauna Sheridan
New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey made her acting debut at the age of 17 alongside Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures. The film proved a sensation in her native New Zealand, with Lynskey, in particular, being earmarked for praise. “There is a way Lynskey has of looking up from beneath glowering eyebrows that lets you know her insides are churning” film reviewer Roger Ebert enthused, while Owen Gleiberman described her performance as “extraordinary”. Lynskey has continued her role of success with Hello I Must Be Going (2012), Two and a Half Men (2003—2015), The Intervention, Rainbow Time, Little Boxes (all 2016), I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, And Then I Go (both 2017) and Sadie (2018)
Tawny Cypress as Adult Taissa
Tawny Cypress made her TV debut in 2000 as Rosana Booth in an episode of NYPD Blue. She’s since garnered praise for her recurring roles as Ginger “Love Tap” LeBeau in Fox’s K-Ville, Simone Deveaux on the TV series Heroes, and Carly Heath on House of Cards.
Jasmin Savoy Brown as Young Taissa
After spending her childhood learning her craft in various musical clubs, choirs and theatre groups, Jasmin Savoy Brown began her professional career with small parts in NBC’s Grimm and Freeform’s The Fosters. In 2015, she landed her breakthrough role as Evangeline Murphy in The Leftovers, and a year later, was cast as the recurring character of Nina on Freeform’s Stitchers. Offscreen, Brown is a passionate advocate of women’s rights and the LGBTQ community, telling The Project For Women “The LGBT community supported me as a woman, an artist, a mixed person, every identity I gave myself outside of the community with nothing but love and safety. I had the opportunity to be a voice for my friends when they couldn’t speak, and they did the same for me.”
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