Yellowjackets: Juliette Lewis talks about her disturbed character in the series

  • By：jobsplane

18

02/2023

CultureWhat it was like playing one of the most important roles of his career and reveals what to expect from the season finale of the series.

By Lauren Valenti

In the eighth episode of the thriller 'Yellowjackets,' Juliette Lewis, who plays the adult version of resident rebel Natalie, finds herself out of control.

Inside a shabby motel room, as Mazzy Star's '90s anthem 'Fade Into You' plays, Lewis, wearing dark turquoise eyeliner and holding a hand mirror, lines herself with a pair of exaggerated punk eyes between swallows from a bottle of Jack Daniels, distraught over the death of an old flame. Later in the episode, in a fit of rage and grief, she applies a 'Mommie Dearest'-inspired face mask and proceeds to vandalize her motel room. There's a haunting beauty to it all, and that's all Lewis.

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By Cecilia Suárez Olvera

'I'm always trying to turn something on its head or do something I've never seen before, and I envisioned her wearing a white face mask tearing up the hotel room to make it look like a kabuki opera house,' explains the actress and singer of 48 years after presenting the idea to the directors of the new 'Yellowjackets' series, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. ‘The idea seemed good to them, and thank goodness, because some are scared of my ideas. They don't trust me," he laughs. 'I say: No, no, this is going to be good, guys.

Lewis's whims have paid off for the creators of 'Yellowjackets,' which tells the story of a high school girls' soccer team that survives a plane crash in the wild, ranging from 1996, the year of the crash , and present day, when middle-aged survivors are haunted by the trauma of their past. The thriller has captivated audiences and ignited conspiracy theories at breakneck speed.

As part of the oldest cast to date, Lewis stars alongside fellow Hollywood veterans Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress. Of the quartet of characters, the fierce and determined Natalie (Juliette Lewis) - a recovering addict and "toxic" con artist, as Lewis puts it - has the most distinctive style. An inveterate punk rocker, she mixes modern designer pieces (many of which come from Lewis's own closet) with the sartorial relics of young Natalie, played by Sophie Thatcher: 'Everything she wears is an expression of her state of mind', explains Lewis. The hallmark of her armor is her artfully tousled brunette haircut and signature liner eyes, inspired by iconic rockers Nina Hagen and Siouxsie Sioux. In collaboration with costume designer Marie Schley, makeup artist Patricia Murray and hair department head Marie Larkin, Lewis was instrumental in conceptualizing Natalie's visual story, which is inextricably linked to the essence and evolution of his complex character.

In a conversation with Vogue, Lewis talks about how he's brought his vision of Natalie to life, the music surrounding 'Yellowjackets,' and what to expect from the season finale, which is a real surprise.

Vogue: What drew you to Yellowjackets?

Juliette Lewis: The pilot script was one of the best scripts I'd read in I don't remember how long. It was so fascinating and new. It was something I had not seen before. It was so intriguing, and all the characters were so defined. Melanie Lynskey was involved, and then they brought up Christina Ricci. And that moved me a lot. The brilliant, beautiful and enigmatic Tawny Cypress was not yet linked. I had just heard those names and thought, 'Yeah, that's a good cast. All four together. We complete each other.

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