'Yellowjackets' Cast Opens Up About Surprising Death: "I Wish It Had Ended Differently" | Vanity Fair

When the showrunners of Yellowjackets told Lauren Ambrose what she could expect from the drama’s third season, they covered a lot of ground. “We talked about the strike being over and the business contracting—and then they were like, ‘And your character’s going to die,’” Ambrose says. This required what the actor calls some “adjusting.” When she was first cast on the series in season two, playing the adult version of plane-crash survivor Van (played as a teenager by Liv Hewson), Ambrose expected to stick around a little longer. “Certainly that was how it seemed from being lured onto the show and getting the job,” she tells Vanity Fair.

In an emotional interview alongside Tawny Cypress, who plays Van’s lover Taissa, Ambrose says she’s still processing both her exit from the show and the nature of her character’s death. The adult timeline of this Yellowjackets season has built toward Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) learning who from her past has been after her; Van and Taissa making the most of their time together as Van’s cancer progresses; and Misty (Christina Ricci) actively investigating the murder of Lottie (Simone Kessell)—which jolted the season—converging with Melissa (Hilary Swank), who as we learned in last week’s episode faked her own death to try to move on from the trauma of her adolescence. Van’s story ends with her coming face-to-face with Melissa, who’s trying to escape the rest of the adult Yellowjackets after she’s found out. Van pins Melissa down but doesn’t kill her, admitting she doesn’t have it in her. The next moment, Melissa stuns Van by turning the knife on her, stabbing her to death.

Ambrose and Swank, mid-stabbing.

Ambrose and Cypress were both surprised by this narrative choice. “Van is this ultimate survivor. Her mother had an abusive nature, then she gets almost blown up by the plane, and then she’s almost killed when she’s attacked by wolves. And then she’s got this cancer that then goes into remission,” Ambrose says. “I assumed it would be the cancer that did her in—this ultimate survivor who is unable to survive this very real and human thing…. Then it wasn’t that, and reading it was really shocking…. All of a sudden, Hilary Swank is murdering me. I’m like, ‘Okay, we’re going to make it work.’ As Kathryn Hahn said to me once, ‘Champions adjust.’”

When Ambrose first learned about the writers’ plans, she had a request: “Please make it earned and worthy of this character that Liv invented.” Cypress chimes in here. “When I read it, it did not feel earned, quite honestly, and I didn’t really understand it. Now I see that we’re saying goodbye to one character but introducing another character. It’s the most gruesome way to start [Melissa’s] story, so I get why they did it. But as a fan, I’d have liked it to have gone differently for sure—and as a fan of Lauren, I would have liked for her to stick around.”

After two seasons of playing a rich romance with Ambrose, Cypress was also gutted that they had no farewell scene to play together. “There’s literally no goodbye. It sucks so bad.”

Ambrose with Tawny Cypress.

In its first season, Yellowjackets’ teen timeline told the story of how Taissa and Van fell in love while fighting to stay alive in the wilderness. The two became estranged in adulthood, with grown-up Taissa introduced as a powerful, married politician raising a child with her wife. Ambrose’s casting deepened the dynamic between the two characters while also changing Cypress’s course on the show.

“We were thrust into our own world, which was kind of surprising to Tawny. She was this state senator and elected official, and all of that stuff just disappeared, and we were this tangential little love story going on,” Ambrose says. Cypress concurs: “You just have to have faith and trust that [the writers] know what the fuck they’re doing…. I love the story that we got to tell.” At one point, Cypress tears up, discussing the bond she’s developed with Ambrose. “We did good stuff,” she says. “It was my and Lauren’s goal to show the love that Liv and Jasmin [Savoy Brown, who plays teen Taissa] created to finish their story in the most noble way that we could. We got very close.”

Van in her final moments.

Both Van and Lottie meet their end in Yellowjackets’ third season, just a year after the introduction of the adult versions of both characters—and following the dramatic death of Nat, played by Juliette Lewis, in the previous season. All the chaos has left Ambrose pondering the show’s trajectory. “My favorite aspects of the show involved exploring how past traumas influence the characters in their present lives,” she reflects. “I think Juliette’s departure opened the door to a sense of unpredictability, where anything can happen and anyone can die at any moment. Hopefully, the show will return to its original focus on how these traumas unfold, as it seemed to expand quite rapidly.” Kessell echoed similar sentiments earlier in the season when discussing Lottie’s demise with Variety: “I don’t know what went on in that writers' room, whether they decided to introduce a new character or focus on the three main girls.”

Ambrose also expresses a desire for the show to delve deeper into the dynamic between Taissa and Van in the final moments. Cypress adds, “And to explore Van as an individual. However, with so many characters and storylines, there just isn’t enough time,” Ambrose continues. “It feels like the spotlight is now shifting back to Liv, which is fitting for the character.”

Liv Hewson with Ambrose.

One of the most poignant moments in the episode occurs when Ambrose and Hewson—the teen and adult versions of Van—share the screen. They are first seen together in the opening scene, where Van is hospitalized and contemplating hospice care. Their most impactful interaction comes after Melissa stabs Van, leaving her in a liminal state between life and death, where she revisits a pivotal moment that shaped her life. Van's younger self returns to guide her towards the end.

“Van has carried the burdens of her life, resulting in the development of a tough exterior that keeps hardening over time, revealing underlying anger and bitterness of feeling that things did not go as planned,” Ambrose explains. “There’s a pivotal moment where Liv’s Van shows [adult Van] the possibility of a different path for someone who has clung to the notion of survival since an early age. Liv played a crucial role in guiding the character towards embracing the idea of letting go of life.”

The scene was shot on Ambrose's final day. Prior to that, she had filmed her character's death scene, working closely with Swank to infuse authenticity amidst the chaos of a bloody TV set. “We cleared the room, and I was determined to make something genuine come out of it,” Ambrose recalls. “Something remarkable did happen on the day. She reflects on the experience of working not only with Swank but also with the entire talented ensemble of the show. “I got exactly what I wanted from this job. When I watched season one and witnessed the performances by these women, I thought, 'This is really cool.' My biggest reward is having had the chance to collaborate with such incredible women.”

Cypress isn't sure what's in store for Taissa next, but she anticipates an expanded role for Melissa, now on the run from both her past and present lives. Cypress hopes this will lead to more scenes shared with the two-time Oscar winner Swank. “She’s a true legend, and she can be intimidating to many,” Cypress remarks with a chuckle. “I've only had a few conversations with her, so I look forward to getting to know her better.” However, as recent events on Yellowjackets have shown, no one is truly safe.

Why Wall Street Bent the Knee to Trump on Tariffs

Karen Read Returns to Trial: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

What the Loud Luxury of The White Lotus Says About Republican Style and the Fantasy of Wealth

Did Biden’s Aides Cover Up His Mental State—or Was It Group Delusion?

The Best TV Shows of 2025, So Far

Gwyneth Paltrow on Fame, Raw Milk, and Why Sex Doesn’t Always Sell

How Snow White’s Failure Has Turned Rachel Zegler Into a Scapegoat—and an Icon

Carrie Coon on Her “Humiliating” White Lotus Hookup

Yale’s Fascism Expert Is Fleeing America

Meet Elon Musk’s 14 Children and Their Mothers (Whom We Know of)

From the Archive: Princess Diana’s Secrets