Christina Ricci talks about her role in 'Yellowjackets' season 3

Since its debut in 2021, Yellowjackets, the darkly mysterious, black-humour story of a ‘90s era girls soccer team, has found an enthusiastic, loyal and critically impressed fan base. The story follows the events after the team's plane crashes in a remote forest, forcing them to do unimaginable things to survive that will haunt them 30 years after their rescue. Christina Ricci, who’s been on screen since she made her debut as a nine-year-old in the 1990 comedy Mermaids, talks about what drew her to the show and what fans can expect from the journey that her character, Misty, takes in the third season.

Ricci was attracted to the show because, she says, she liked the concept of the storyline. “When you sign onto a TV show you usually only see the pilot script,” says the actress. “Misty only had one scene in the pilot but it was an incredibly informative, insightful scene: she’s abusing an elderly person but it’s not like she comes into the room and is a sadist. She has an immature feeling of rejection that makes her attack. I thought that was interesting — to portray a character who’s so small and petty inside. I wanted to follow that person home and see what they’re like at the grocery store. That kind of role is fascinating for an actress.

Ricci says she and Samantha Hanratty, who plays the younger version of Misty, play the part in similar ways. “We talked about the character and the notes she’d been given versus the notes I’d been given,” says Ricci. “The writing is so good, as is the casting, that she and I can play the part in the same way. If you were to meet me at 15 and me now at 45, you'd encounter two completely different human beings, so I do believe that she and I get to own the separate character portrayals of Misty because with the pressure of time and experience you change a lot.”

Unfortunately for fans of Juliette Lewis’ character, Natalie's role came to an end in season 2. Natalie’s death has had quite an effect on the character of Misty. “I miss Juliette,” Ricci says. “In the first season we bonded closely and over both seasons we became like sisters. It was a genuine connection, so it’s sad that she's not there. It forced Misty to be with other people and I have to say, I like Misty best when she’s with other people.”

Fans responded strongly to Yellowjackets and Ricci believes that much of the connection viewers felt was because people in the US are feeling disenfranchised, oppressed, scared and powerless. “We watch characters in the show formed by the trauma that they go through, which makes them react in certain ways to things that happen in their lives (and then you add female rage to that trauma and watch them stepping out of their moral compass). We’ve had characters act out all of this pain, rage and outrage and it’s very cathartic for people to watch. They burn things to the ground because they’re so screwed up and mad and fed up.”

The most exciting thing for Ricci as an actor in this season was the ease with which the adult cast brought the storyline for this season to life on the screen. “It was so much fun to work with Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Melanie Lynskey. It’s been great to be with all the ladies. The show reflects the fun we had together.”