Yellowjackets’ Juliette Lewis Is Happy To Pass The Baton To Sophie Thatcher
“She’s in it to win it. She doesn’t need my advice.”
With a show as unpredictable and dark as Yellowjackets, tragic twists are par for the course. The Showtime series rarely pulls its punches: that’s partially why it’s amassed such a loyal following. But its second season felt a lot more bitter than sweet. An unfocused season culminated in a polarizing finale and the demise of a fan favorite, Juliette Lewis’ Natalie. Fans were blindsided by her departure — but Lewis knew it was time to leave. The actress had worked on the show since 2021, and after two seasons, she found herself yearning for the structure of traditional movie-making.
“It’s what I grew up in,” Lewis tells Inverse. The actress cites Cape Fear and From Dusk Till Dawn, two of her best-known films, for their formative, fast-paced shoots. “There wasn’t a lot of luxury. You’re really trying to get the most out of every day. I’m used to that concept of not going back to a trailer, not much waiting, not much downtime. My cells understand that pace.”
Lewis has since found her groove on the big screen again, while Yellowjackets recently returned with a new season. But many are still grappling with Lewis’ absence: her departure was particularly “heartbreaking” for Sophie Thatcher, who plays the teen version of Natalie in the series.
“To lose her on the show felt really like losing a part of yourself,” Thatcher told Variety in 2023. The actress described Lewis as a mentor and major inspiration, so soldiering on without her made Yellowjackets Season 3 a true challenge. That said, Lewis has the utmost confidence in Thatcher. When it comes to carrying Natalie into future seasons, she’s content to let Thatcher spread her wings.
Juliette Lewis appears next in the A24 horror film Opus.
“We talk here and there and she knows I’m here, but she’s on it,” Lewis says with a smile. “She’s in it to win it. She doesn’t need my advice.”
Lewis went on to praise Thatcher’s performance in Yellowjackets: “She’s such a dream. I think she’s doing everything authentically. I know we use that word often, but it’s so nice when you see someone really residing in themselves and living and breathing in their creative dimensions. She has so many, and she’s doing really good.”
While Thatcher dives deeper into Natalie’s psyche in Yellowjackets Season 3, Lewis has returned to what she knows best. From the 2024 western The Thicket to By Design and Opus, two breakouts at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the actress has been suitably busy. She’s also taking even bigger creative swings: in By Design, she plays a woman who swaps bodies with a chair. It’s a role that demanded a considerable amount of stillness, but she found herself giving a completely different performance in Opus. The A24 film follows a group of journalists invited on a remote retreat with a reclusive pop star and his devoted followers.
Lewis plays Clara Armstrong, a “tabloid journalist” inspired by Wendy Williams and Megyn Kelly. “It was fun to play somebody who’s overly confident, who’s wearing thigh-high boots over jeans,” Lewis says wistfully. “I really relish playing characters that look totally different than the last.” Clara is in a very different place, both visually and emotionally, than the “depressed” Natalie. It made Opus a great follow-up to Yellowjackets, an opportunity to shake off old habits and embrace the unfamiliar.
Lewis relished playing such a different character in Opus.
Lewis also found herself really intrigued by the themes at play in Opus. The film, written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, is ambitious in its exploration of cult fandom and celebrity. It’s something Lewis has seen firsthand throughout her years as both an actress and musician.
“There is the Pied Piper quality in a certain level of musicianship,” Lewis says. “I know a few musicians who might fancy themselves the Jesus personality, where they relish the fandom and that. I call it ‘pedestal culture.’” Opus skewers that with crackling, “cynical” satire, and Lewis looks forward to the discussions around Green’s story. “There’s so many topics to devour ... [Green] sees all the details, everything, because he is a real filmmaker.”
