Yellowjackets: Lauren Ambrose Teases Arrival of Adult Van in Season 2

Season 2 of Yellowjackets arrives this week and with the fan favorite Showtime series’ return comes some new additions to the series cast, particularly Lauren Ambrose as adult Van (the character is played in the 1990s timeline by Liv Hewson). Last fans saw of Van in Season 1 of the series, she’d only barely survived being attacked by a wolf, but the addition of Ambrose as the adult version of the character makes it clear that she goes on to survive the wilderness — but that survival doesn’t mean she’s overcome the trauma. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Ambrose described adult Van as being stuck in her trauma.

“I think they all are, in a sense, stuck in the trauma,” Ambrose said. “That experience is just so defining.”

Co-showrunner Barn Nickerson also explained that while Van isn’t a “remotely squared away human being”, she has processed things perhaps better than some of the other survivors.

“I would describe adult Van as somebody who has maybe processed her experience in a more healthy way than any of the other women, but I would not describe her as a remotely squared away human being,” Nickerson said. “She’s just taken a different path in terms of dealing with it.”

As for what the future holds for the character in Season 2, particularly when it comes to Van’s relationship with Taissa (played as a teen by Jasmin Savoy Brown and as an adult by Tawny Cypress), Ambrose described the pair as being “carved into each other’s hearts.”

“They loved each other so deeply,” Ambrose said. “We haven’t seen what comes next for them in the woods, but with what we’ve seen so far, it’s so intense. We’re carved in each other’s hearts.”

What is Yellowjackets Season 2 about?

Yellowjackets begins in 1996, as a team of New Jersey high school soccer players travels to Seattle for a national tournament. While flying over Canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness and the remaining team members are left to survive for nineteen months. The series chronicles their attempts to survive while also tracking their current lives in 2021. The series stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis.

In addition to Ambrose, Season 2 sees the additions of Simone Kessell as adult Lottie, and Elijah Wood as a new character named Walter, Nicole Maines as Lisa, Francois Arnaud as Paul, and Nia Sondaya as teen Akilah.

Season 2 of Yellowjackets will return starting Friday, March 24 on streaming and on demand for all SHOWTIME subscribers, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.