Riverdale and Night Agent alum Sarah Desjardins says her Yellowjackets character Callie is trying to figure out what kind of person she is as her mom Shauna's shocking secret past is revealed.
Now in its third season, the series follows members of a high school soccer team who survive a place crash, but turn to murder and cannibalism in the Canadian wilderness when they are teens in the 1990s.
Melanie Lynskey plays Shauna, the adult version of one of the athletes, who seems like a normal suburban New Jersey wife and mom until her past comes back to haunt her, prompting her to be more candid with Callie and Callie's father Jeff (Warren Cole).
"Season 2 was about being more curious and trying to understand her mom more," Desjardins told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"That's definitely still an aspect, very much so in Season 3, but in Season 3, it's turning a bit more inward and Callie's really just trying to understand herself and what's going on and what has happened to her mom, so she can better understand herself.""Nature vs. nurture" is an important theme in Yellowjackets, the actress noted.
"At the end of Season 2, we're kind of hinting at Callie herself is questioning: 'Am I like my mom? How much am I like my mom? How does Callie feel about that?'" Desjardins said.
The family dynamics shift as Shauna becomes more honest, vulnerable and unhinged, driving her closer to Jeff, the well-meaning owner of a furniture store, who is unsure of how to save his family.
"At the beginning of Season 3, it becomes more apparent to Callie that my parents are just like: 'Everything's going back to normal. Everything's fine,'" Desjardins said.
"And Callie's just like: 'What? we can't do that!' Callie is a bit more of a voice of reason, a driving force to confronting reality and kind of has to mature and become more of an adult this season."
