The series Yellowjackets has earned a great deal of critical acclaim for its ability to create a compelling and unsettling story that dives deep into horror, trauma, and the slowly unraveling psyches of its main characters. Indeed, a major part of the series' power stems from its cast, all of whom deliver performances that allow the viewer to really inhabit these characters' minds as they slowly lose control of their sanity.
Many members of the cast have appeared elsewhere in a wide variety of movies and television series, which helps to explain their versatility.
Melanie Lynskey: Mrs. America (2020)
Stream On Hulu
Hulu's Mrs. America was one of the most compelling series of 2020, delving as it did into the struggle to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. In addition to featuring Cate Blanchett in one of her best roles, it also includes in its cast Melanie Lynskey, who plays Rosemary, one of the most dogmatic members of Phyllis Schlafly’s group of activities who work to keep the ERA from getting passed.
Even when others falter, Lynskey’s character continues to show a dogged determination to defeat the ERA. She plays the adult version of Shauna.
Sophie Thatcher: When The Streetlights Go On (2020)
Stream On Roku
Even though it was a short-lived streaming service, Quibi still managed to produce some interesting television series, including When the Streetlights Go On, which features a group of young people struggling to come to terms with both a murder of one of their peers and the usual trials and tribulations associated with adolescence.
Sophie Thatcher played one of the main characters, Becky Monroe, which to date has been one of her most prominent roles. In Yellowjackets, she plays the younger version of Natalie.
Tawny Cypress: Unforgettable (2011-2016)
Stream On Roku & IMDb TV
CBS has earned a reputation for producing many procedural TV series, among which is Unforgettable, which focused on a detective who was able to remember everything that ever happened to her, except for the events that occurred on the day that her sister was killed.
Tawny Cypress plays an FBI agent who comes to work at the NYPD during the course of the second season. In Yellowjackets she plays the character Taissa in her adult persona.
Ella Purnell: Belgravia (2020)
Stream On Epix
Jullian Fellowes is most famous for creating Downton Abbey, arguably one of the most popular and successful period dramas. However, he has also ventured into other territory, including Belgravia, another period melodrama that takes place in the celebrated and exclusive Belgravia neighborhood of London.
In that series, Ella Purnell played the character of Lady Maria Grey, a young woman who desperately wants out from under her mother’s thumb. In Yellowjackets, she plays the similarly indomitable character of Jackie, who is the captain of the soccer team.
Sammi Hanratty: Shameless (2011-2021)
Stream On Netflix & Shameless
There are few television series that understand poverty as well as Shameless. During its several seasons, the characters that inhabited its world demonstrated just how destructive and corrosive poverty can be on the lives of those who are trapped within it.
That includes those who become involved with members of the Gallaghers, including Sammi Hanratty’s character Kassidi, who marries Carl. She was definitely one of the stranger characters, and she channels some of that weirdness into her character of the teenage Misty in Yellowjackets.
Steven Krueger: The Originals (2013-2018)
Stream On Netflix
There’s no question that The Vampire Diaries is one of the most successful and popular vampire TV series, and so it makes sense that it would generate its own sequel in the form of The Originals.
In addition to starring in Yellowjackets as Ben Scott, Steven Krueger makes several appearances in this series, in which he portrays the character of Josh Rosza, a young man who gets turned into a vampire and later becomes one of the chief lieutenants to Marcel (one of the series most powerful and compelling characters).
Christina Ricci: The Addams Family (1991)
Stream On Peacock
The legendary Christina Ricci is a well-regarded actress with many important roles in her filmography. One of her most beloved, however, is as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, in which she manages to capture the morbid spirit of the original character.
She somehow manages to be both endearing and more than a little disturbing. She brings her considerable screen charm to bear as she portrays the character of the adult Misty, a character easily as strange and unsettling as Wednesday.
Juliette Lewis: Secrets and Lies (2015-2016)
Stream On IMDb TV
Juliette Lewis has established quite a career in Hollywood, acting in a wide variety of roles in both movies and television. In Yellowjackets, she plays the character of Natalie in her adult stage, and Lewis allows the viewer to understand the torment she endures as a result of having survived the plane crash that is the series’ most important event.
She also made a notable appearance in the short-lived television series Secrets and Lies, in which she plays a detective who sets out to investigate the murders that take place in her jurisdiction.
Keeya King: Van Helsing (2016-2021 )
Stream On Netflix
There are few vampire hunters quite as famous as Abraham Van Helsing, who has appeared in a number of movies and TV series, including the series Van Helsing, which focuses on his descendant as she struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by vampires.
Keeya King’s character was introduced relatively late in the series, and she is also a descendant of Abraham who is likewise trained to kill vampires. In Yellowjackets, she portrays the character of Akilah.
Kevin Alves: Locke And Key (2020-)
Stream On Netflix
Since its release, Locke and Key has become one of the best shows on Netflix, and it’s easy to see why, since it manages to capture so many genres within its main story. Focusing as it does on a group of young people who move into a house filled with magical keys. The magic, however, has a more sinister side, as they soon discover.
In this series, Kevin Alvez--who plays the son of a coach in Yellowjackets--appears as Javi, the friend of one of the series’ main characters.