Yellowjackets Season 2: The New Main Cast Members And Where You've Seen Them Before

Yellowjackets carrying a body in Season 2
(Image credit: Showtime)

When it comes to some of the most popular shows over the last year, I can think of a fair few that have truly blown up and taken TV fans by storm. You could obviously bring up the typical winners such as Bridgerton Season 2, or even Barry Season 3, or the obvious winner in many categories, Succession. Or you can think of the biggest fantasy shows, like House of the Dragon, as well as Shadow and Bone on Netflix, but for me, the series thing that always pops up is Yellowjackets. 

The hit Showtime series ended up exploding onto the scene last year with its thrilling storyline and excellent acting from the entirety of the Yellowjackets cast, featuring some new faces to Hollywood and some veterans who truly showed off just how skilled they are. However, Yellowjackets Season 2 is here, and if you’re wondering where you might have seen the Yellowjackets Season 2 cast, we have the answers for you.

Lauren Ambrose in Yellowjackets.

(Image credit: Showtime)

Lauren Ambrose (Adult Van)

First up on this list is Lauren Ambrose, who plays the adult Van in Yellowjackets. For those who don’t remember, Van was one of the survivors of the plane crash in the wilderness, but was attacked by wolves and severely injured, with a scar set right across her face. In the first season, we didn’t really get to see Van as an adult at all, mainly sticking to her younger counterpart, but now, we can see her in Season 2, portrayed by the lovely Ambrose. 

Yellowjackets: What To Know About The Showtime Series Before You Watch

Ambrose is no stranger to television, including playing interesting roles in thrilling series. Originally, she was known for her role as Claire Fisher in the popular drama series, Six Feet Under, a show about a family who ran a funeral parlor, but she’s had plenty of parts in other big shows. 

One of her biggest roles recently was being a part of the popular Apple TV+ show, Servant (where she played Dorothy Turner), created by M. Night Shyamalan, which just finished up its finale after four seasons. 

The actress has also guest starred in a variety of shows, including The X Files, Dig, The Return of Jezebel James, Torchwood: Miracle Day, Party of Five and more. 

Like many of the actors and actresses on this list, Ambrose has also been in a variety of movies, as well. Some of her biggest roles thus far have been in movies like In & Out, Can’t Hardly Wait, Psycho Beach Party, Sleepwalk with Me and Where the Wild Things Are, among other work in films such as Grassroots, Wanderlust, and About Sunny.

Simone Kessell in Yellowjackets.

(Image credit: Showtime)

Simone Kessell (Adult Lottie)

Next up on this list is Simone Kessell, who is getting the chance to portray adult Lottie. This character was someone who was a big character in Season 1, despite not having an adult counterpart. Lottie, who ends up going off her meds once she runs out in the wilderness, has her mental health steadily decline, to the point where at the very end of the finale, we see her offering a bear heart up to some dark forest God. 

Yeah, wow, just thinking about that gave me chills, but it would take a special person to portray the adult version of Lottie after knowing what she goes through in the forest. There were plenty of actresses who were suited to play the part, but it ended up being Kessell who got the role. 

Like her co-stars, Kessell is a veteran to the world of television and has had multiple roles in shows before, including the TV series Terra Nova, Of Kings and Prophets, Medivac, Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, Wonderland, The Crossing and more. She also portrayed Breha Orgena in the Disney+ original series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and had a recurring role on the show Our Flag Means Death, a great series on HBO Max

She has also appeared in some films as well, including the Dwyane Johnson-led action film, San Andreas, Frost/Nixon, The Lovers, 1%, 2:22, and Burning Man, among other smaller roles. 

Kevin Alves in Yellowjackets

(Image credit: Showtime)

Kevin Alves (Travis)

Granted, we already saw Travis in the first season, played by Kevin Alves in Yellowjackets, but now, it’s been confirmed that Alves has been upgraded to a series regular, so we’re going to be seeing a heck of a lot more of him in that forest. 

The actor has been in many TV shows before, including guest roles in Chicago Fire, Star Stable: Mistfall, and Degrassi: The Next Generation. He also had bigger parts on the popular Netflix series, Locke & Key, as well as Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, but I personally think he’s been killing it in Yellowjackets. 

Elijah Wood in Yellowjackets.

(Image credit: Showtime)

Elijah Wood (Walter)

I bet you weren’t expecting to see Elijah Wood on this list, but guess what? He’s playing a major recurring guest role in Yellowjackets Season 2. Wood is playing Walter, someone whose storyline is going to be very intertwined with that of Christina Ricci’s character, Misty, according to Entertainment Weekly. 

Wood has obviously been around for some time in Hollywood. Most people know him from his time as the star of The Lord of the Rings franchise, where he played Frodo Baggins for three movies and reprised the role in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Other than that, however, he’s done plenty in the world of movies and television.

Some of his biggest movie roles have been in Avalon, Radio Flyer, Forever Young, The Adventures of Huck Finn, The Good Son, Flipper, The Faculty, Deep Impact, The War, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Sin City, Maniac, The Last Witch Hunter, Come to Daddy, and many more. Wood has also had experience with voice-acting, portraying Mumble in the Happy Feet movies, as well as the main character in 9. 

Besides several guest roles on TV shows, Wood has had a few big roles on television, including a main role on the sitcom, Wilfred, as well as voice roles in many shows like Summer Camp Island and Star Wars Resistance, but it’ll be awesome to see him in a recurring guest role on television once again.

Another person that I’ll mention really quickly is Nuha Jez Izman, who is set to play Crystal in the new season. Her only other credit thus far has been appearing in FBI, but hopefully after Yellowjackets Season 2, you’ll be seeing a lot more of her. 

With a cast such as this, it’s not surprising that they’ve done so much in the world of movies and TV – and I can’t wait to see them more as the season progresses. 

Alexandra Ramos
Content Producer

A self-proclaimed nerd and lover of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, Alexandra Ramos is a Content Producer at CinemaBlend. She first started off working in December 2020 as a Freelance Writer after graduating from the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. She primarily works in features for movies, TV, and sometimes video games. (Please don't debate her on The Last of Us 2, it was amazing!) She is also the main person who runs both our daily newsletter, The CinemaBlend Daily, and our ReelBlend newsletter.