Simone Kessell is the "Antler Queen" of dreams. Yes, by the end of Yellowjackets season one last year, all signs pointed to Lottie Matthews being the terrifying and mysterious masked figure hiding in the remote, snowy Canadian wilderness, which was reluctantly home to the female high school football team that crashed there.
Viewers waited on tenterhooks to see who would take on the role of Lottie as an adult twenty-five years after the crash, joining the fellow survivors, Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Misty (Christina Ricci), Natalie (Juliette Lewis), and Taissa (Tawney Cypress) as they tried to make sense of their complicated lives, despite their traumas coming back to haunt them.
Luckily, in came Simone, who seamlessly transformed into adult Lottie, who takes centre stage for the second season, which is now in the early stages of its weekly release schedule. We've now learnt that since her days in the wilderness, she has rebranded herself into a spiritual leader (or, some may say, cult leader). But who is she really? Did she really spiral into madness while in the woods due to being off her meds, or were there actually supernatural pagan threats lurking in the darkness, ready to pounce on those that crossed its path?
With the show now airing weekly for UK viewers on Paramount+, the horrifying truths will slowly unfold during the season. But what was it like for Simone to take on high and mighty expectations with a character so complex in her mental health, unresolved trauma and desire to lead and be in control? Here she speaks to GLAMOUR about Lottie's unravelling, what Yellowjackets has taught her about female strength, and persevering through issues such as diversity in Hollywood to get to where she is now.
GLAMOUR:*__ So, I want to start by just saying that Yellowjackets __*is major! How did you feel about joining the second season of an already-established show? Were there any anxieties about meeting expectations as viewers already had fan-favourite characters?
Simone:** **Yes, yes, and yes! It's everything you were saying. You nailed it. They had such a runaway success with the first season and all the Emmy nominations, and then online people were like, "Who the f*** is Lottie Matthews? Who's going to play her?" And then they were like, "Her? She's wrong!" Then there were all these fan theories! So I have to admit, now with the second season, it's not like, "Simone's let season two down," or anything like that. And Courtney [Eaton, who plays young Lottie] is so beautiful, so that's such a compliment too. The great thing was that they gave me so much creative license to say, this was the young Lottie, but she's reinvented herself as a grown woman. So, where do you want to take her? Lottie is a complete character within herself and has had such a transformation. So that made me go, "Okay, I can kind of dig my toes in here and really come up with a take on what I believe a spiritual healer would be like.
So your character has taken centre stage in the second season. We've been introduced to her as a spiritual healer who helps others in need. However, sometimes her actions do blur into cult-like behaviours. How did you research your character and get into that head space?
I did quite a lot of research. There's this amazing woman called Teal Swan, and I was taken not by her teachings but by the fact that she was so eloquent, so put together and was this independent woman on her own path to healing, which is what she teaches. So I was like, "That's an interesting take." So vastly different from who Lottie is! I even delved into the world of pastors delivering sermons and wanted to understand the mindset of the acolytes and devotees, who would give up absolutely everything to follow one person. That's fascinating to me. Then there are also so many wonderful documentaries. It even falls back to religion. Why do people devote their lives to religion? It was interesting to look at it and understand it. Then the extraordinary costume designer, Amy Smart, was fantastic, and with her help, this world was created physically. So stepping into that space, I immediately felt it. Also, they would often get the same extras back, which was wonderful. Lottie delivers many speeches throughout the season, and by the end, they were all like, "Oh, thank you, thank you." And I was like, "Namaste."
We see that younger Lottie is so traumatised from her experiences in the wilderness that she doesn't speak for a while when she's saved. But then she becomes a healer, which requires her to be good with her words. She's cool, calm and collected, and you would never know she's had this harrowing past. How will viewers see her past trauma and vulnerabilities returning to haunt her throughout the season?
She slowly unravels. As the season does, so does Lottie. And there are no spoilers here because it's hinted in all the trailers, but all the women come back together at Lottie's retreat compound community. With them, bring all the past traumas that she's worked so hard to bury. And so, as the season progresses, we see this stoic, strong woman in power helping other people, but as the season continues, especially the season finale, we see a very broken Lottie. That was so interesting to play because how do you suppress trauma on that level as a woman twenty-five years later? But you often see it. I love people-watching, and I'll see a woman and it's in her face, something terrible has happened in her life. Women, we hold it in our bodies. So I was very interested in the physicality of that, of finding Lottie as this beautiful, strong, graceful, elegant woman, but then the world starts to cave in. There are some incredible scenes with her and her psychiatrist even, and so we see that her world is falling apart, but in front of all her people, she's completely together.
How did you relate to the character on a personal level?
Well, I became quite spiritual playing Lottie. It was wonderful! Suddenly I was buying crystals and using roll-on scents and lighting incense all the time. I even had a board in my apartment in Vancouver where I would just write little notes to Lottie. This was so that as I was learning and running lines, I would look up to these little affirmations I had created for Lottie. I was always finding a way because I wanted her to be in the truth and the light because there are not many places you can go if she's constantly in the dark. So for me, I really embraced it. I was also suddenly buying kaftans. Why not? I even bought a beautiful piece of art, a mountain with an eye. So you can't help but fall in love with your characters and who they are in their taste. I mean, I once played a leader of a biking gang, and I can tell you I wasn't lighting incense when I got home. I was rocking out! So, because of Lottie, I became quite spiritual in the sense that I wanted to surround myself with beautiful things and beautiful energies.
That's really incredible to know that you related to your character in such a lovely and personal way!
Well, I got to kind of create the character, so there was no wrong. Every choice I made was right because it was the birthing of the adult version of Lottie, whose foundations had already been laid. So that was really liberating. That's the great thing about Yellowjackets, there's such an underlying dark humour there as well, so even if you go too far into character, it kind of works.
So you were definitely given a whole lot of freedom to make this character your own?
Very much so! And I would check back in, obviously, with our showrunners, and I'd be like, "What about this?" They were like, "Great. Do it." That was amazing, whether they just were like, "Simone's got it," or whether they were like, "Just go for it," I don't know," but I was given such a gift, as they were always like, "go for it." I really took that and ran with it!
We touched on the expectations of joining the second season earlier. But how have the first reactions towards your character been?
There's a relief. It's like, "Oh, that's Lottie. We've waited so long for Lottie." I've been tentative about reading things because I don't want to get my heart broken by people's careless comments. But I had dinner with [Yellowjackets co-star] Melanie Lynskey last night, nd she's like, "Oh, Simone, you are getting really great feedback." And I go, "Oh, that's so lovely." But I also said, "Melanie, you're going to win an Emmy." She's like, "Don't be silly." And I was like, "You're going to win an Emmy. You're extraordinary," and she goes, "Well, I'm incredibly proud of you too." She also said, "you're getting singled out." And I was like, "Well, phew." I made it through, so that's nice. If adult Lottie resonates with people and they're really enjoying it, then I'm doing my job. So, you're a writer, and when people enjoy reading your words, that's a win, right? So Lottie's the same. If you're enjoying what she's doing and what you see, then that's a win for me on many levels.
So, it sounds like you had a brilliant time on set, but what would you say was the most challenging part of the filming process?
The most challenging part of the filming process would be the location. Where Lottie's scenes were filmed was an hour and a half out of Vancouver. That was really hard. Lottie's often in beautiful silk dresses and espadrilles, and it was freezing. By the end, I got fifteen layers underneath! Yeah, the elements were difficult!
*__Yellowjackets __*is a female-heavy show, centring many key topics around overcoming unimaginable trauma and adversity and finding the emotional will to persevere when the world seems out to get you. What does it tell you in general about the power of female strength?
Absolutely! It tells us that everybody's had a journey, whether it's yourself, your sister, or your grandparent, it doesn't matter. Everyone has a story. And that's so unique that we then see it in moments in the past and how these women deal with it in the present day. That's what makes this show really riveting, I believe. Because if there's one character you don't align with, there's another character that you're like, "Oh my God, that is me." Isn't that incredible, that cast? And also bringing diversity onto the screen as well. Being mixed race myself and having roles for that. I loved that they honoured Courtney's ancestry and where her parents are from. Thank goodness her mother is Maori from New Zealand, and I got cast. And having that, I mean, even Melanie and I, being New Zealanders on the show, which also has two Australians as well. It's a really lovely cultural pot and the talent, so you have to bring your game.
The actor previously spoke out about body-shaming behind the scenes of Yellowjackets.
For sure! You mentioned the topic of diversity, which has been a complex issue in Hollywood. Have you faced certain hardships in your career, such as finding roles because of your background?
Very much so, given we're already a minority, right? I never was right for any character because I wasn't white, but I wasn't black. And the character, if she was brown-skinned, was Hispanic, and I'm not Hispanic, so I never got the roles. There have been many times everyone's like, "Well, you're having your moment now." I was always here. Just the roles weren't written for people of brown skin, and the roles don't come along often, and if they do, they're specific. It's usually to tick a diversity box in a cast where ultimately, the male and the female are white, and then it trickles down to the friends or friends of. So roles like this don't come along often, but I see a shift.
I'm also seeing a shift in the thoughts of writers, producers and directors that it doesn't matter what the ethnicity of a character is. She's a woman, she's the right age, and she can act, so let's get her on. That's a shift as well in people's mindsets. And also, it makes for such interesting casting when there's diversity there, but it's not explained because it shouldn't be.
Did there ever come a time when you thought about leaving the acting business?
Yeah, very much. And I sort of stood down for a few years while I had my kids, and I'm so glad I did because I know so many actors who have just kept working, and then they're in their 40s and like, "What have I got other than a great showreel and a beautiful house or something?" So maybe that's the gift, that they weren't ready for me. And so I got to have kids and have a life, and then now I'm definitely all in, and the roles are just getting stronger and stronger.
So you mentioned you have two children?
Yeah. Two boys, actually. I was 28, and I couldn't get a job to save myself. And so I had a baby, and I'm so glad I did. And now my eldest is 18. He's like, "Mum, I just saw Yellowjackets." The whole time I was filming, I was saying, "Have you watched it yet?" And he's like, "yeah, I'll get around to it." And then he watched, and he's like, "Mum, you are Lottie!" I was like, "I told you to watch it." And he was so cute, he was like, "I can't believe it. I mean, I look at you, and I don't see my mum. And then I think, well, that's just mom, but it's f***ing with my head."
Well, you've definitely earned brownie points with him! Following that, there's recently been considerable discourse about nepotism in Hollywood. Where do you stand on this? Would you encourage your children to follow in your footsteps, or would you be hesitant?
I'm the latter. If they still want to be actors at 21, then great! But up until then, have a life. I find when kids are on set, and their parents are really pushing them, they can do no wrong. The validation they get at such a young age, it's not real. I know, because I was twelve when I started, and everyone was so nice. But it's fake. It's like they want to make your day, so they're really nice to you.
But of course, I would wholeheartedly support my child if he wants to be an actor. But a part of me would say, "You got to have thick skin, and you've got to know that it's a really tough road." That's it, being able to have thick skin and being rejected time and time again. But you're one step closer to the win every time you're rejected.
Of course! You've obviously had thick skin yourself, having made it out here all the way from New Zealand. What advice would you give to other international actors coming to Los Angeles with big dreams?
I would say do the work! The work is in the audition and not in getting the job. The work is doing your homework, reading, being there, being present, and studying your craft. It's not about fame. I feel like so many kids would think, "Oh, it's like easy come, easy go." One actress I met was like, "Well, for Jennifer Lawrence, it just happened. I'll be like that." It just doesn't happen that way. So I would say to any young actor, especially a young girl of colour who's coming from a different country to America, own the right to be a hardworking actor and keep doing the work. Don't listen to the noise because it's the noise that will bring you down.
That's really good advice! Going back to Yellowjackets, why do you think the show has resonated so well with viewers?
I was joking the other night, I was like, "It's a feel-good show because it makes you feel good about yourself." Like, you thought you had an issue? Honey, you're fine! I also think it's done well because of the two timelines. So if you're not into the present day, you've got something in the past. So the way it jumps back and forth is brilliant. There are also so many characters, so everyone's got a favourite. And also it's the suspense. They keep dropping sudden hints. So you're like, "Hold on, what?" It's a thinking person show. You're not spoon-fed this. And I'm not into horror or gore at all, and I couldn't take my eyes off it. Every episode, you're like, "Oh my God." So that's what I think. It's attracting clever viewers who can actually work it out themselves. And there's something for everybody in this show. Also, the ensemble of cast, it's like no other. There's no weak link in this cast.
A hundred per cent! Last question, what do you hope viewers take away from the character, Lottie, throughout the season?
I wanted her to be truthful to mental health. I wanted to tap into the world of mental health in a way that wasn't like she's this one thing or another thing. I mean, I don't think you can take away much from Lottie as the season progresses. In the beginning, perhaps you can, there might be some spiritual guidance there that you can attach yourself to like some of the extras did on set. They'd come up and be like, "Thank you so much." I was like, "I didn't write it, but you're welcome." I'd also like people to understand that these women suffer. They have PTSD. It gets so as the season goes, so I would encourage viewers to enjoy the ride because it's a good one!
Catch Simone Kessell on Yellowjackets season two. New episodes drop every Friday on Paramount+.
