“‘What this place wants from us is violence. I know what’s required from us,’ is what she’s thinking,” says Liv Hewson of their character, teenage Van, on this devastating eighth installment of Yellowjackets.
In our newest episode of The Buzz on Yellowjackets (make sure you watch the entire thing!), Hewson tells us it was Van who got here up with the concept to make use of the card-drawing ritual (already in place to assign chores) to randomly determine who the group would kill and eat. Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) pulls the designated loss of life card (the Queen of Hearts that Javi [Luciano Leroux] discovered whereas he was alone within the wilderness).
The others’ playing cards could maintain which means, too, however on a distinct stage. Hewson says, “The cards that we pull are in the scripts. When we got there on the day and were planning how to film it, it was like ‘OK, do we need those cards in order, so the right people draw them?’ and the writers were like, ‘Yes, we want to make sure those are the cards you draw.” What meaning going ahead is anybody’s guess.
The playing cards could have been pre-selected, however that wasn’t the case for the axes and knives the crazed pack picked as much as hunt Natalie as she tried to flee. Hewson tells us the solid was given the chance to decide on which weapon their character would seize for the hunt. “I picked the rebar over the fire because it felt right to me. There’s a twofold instinctive reaction to that which is: This works as a weapon; I can hit something with this. I can poke something with this,” Hewson says. “And, also, I can carry something back to the cabin with it if necessary.”
The hunt goes from terrifying to tragic as younger Javi tries to guide Nat to security however falls by way of the ice of a frozen lake. The ladies let him drown. Van stands again and watches coolly as he begs for assist. “That’s what it’s all about now. Enough of the hope. Enough of the touchy feely. Enough of the crying. It’s all about practical decision-making for her now. It’s a divorce from feeling, which is not sustainable. Feelings catch up with everybody, and they will catch up with her,” Hewson says.
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Hewson noticed the brutal flip of occasions coming after they acquired the script for Episode 7 and skim the scene the place Shauna pummels Lottie. “It sinks in for Van that they are going to start killing and eating each other. There was something about the arrival of ritual violence. At the time I was like, ‘This is when it occurs to Van that it is inevitable: They are going to start killing and eating each other.’”
And though ’90s Van is satisfied of the facility of the wilderness, the grownup Van (Lauren Ambrose) is essentially the most hesitant of all the ladies about revisiting the previous. She even hangs again after they all head to the “sharing shack” at Lottie’s (Simone Kessell) compound.
“I can’t wait to see why in my bit she’s all in and Lauren’s bit she’s all out. Something or perhaps a terrible number of somethings have happened in the intervening 25 years to completely restructure how Van feels about any of this. That’s exciting to me,” Hewson says.
So because the stranded crew enters this bloody new section, will teen couple Van and Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) change into a drive to be reckoned with – or collapse? “Over the course of Season 2, I think there is a possibility of a real crack in the foundation for the two of them. Van spent so much of this season trying to get Taissa help, and Taissa won’t take the help – of course not, because it’s not good help. Van feels like she’s out of options and out of resources. If I can’t help you, protect you – then what am I doing? What is this even? What’s going to happen to us? Those kids might be in trouble.”
Check out the video for extra of Hewson’s reflections on Van and the opposite Yellowjackets; plus behind-the-scenes particulars about taking pictures the hunt within the woods and throughout the frozen lake; working with Lauren Ambrose; and Coach Ben’s (Steven Krueger) discovery of the underground sanctuary.
What was their response after they first examine Ben’s discover? “I’m a little bit scared of caves so my immediate concern was – are you going to make us get in a bunch of caves?! I got nervous,” Hewson says with amusing.
Yellowjackets, Sundays, 9/8c, Showtime (and Fridays on On Demand and Streaming)