Simone Kessell Revealed If She Would Return To "Yellowjackets" For Season 4, And Her Answer Surprised Me

Warning: Massive Yellowjackets spoilers ahead!

Born in Aotearoa (New Zealand), Simone Kessell is taking the US by storm. You astir apt admit her from the deed amusement Yellowjackets, wherever she brought big Lottie to life, but that's conscionable 1 connected a agelong database of credits, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Terra Nova, and Our Flag Means Death. She's besides starring successful the upcoming Apple TV+ thriller play show, The Last Frontier, and has different projects connected the skyline that I'm truthful excited about!

For BuzzFeed’s Voices of the Pacific series, I sat down with Simone to chat astir each things Yellowjackets, her favourite facet of Māori culture, and more.

Editor's note: This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

You portrayed big Lottie Matthews successful the deed amusement Yellowjackets, bringing truthful overmuch charm and intrigue to the role. I was devastated erstwhile your quality died successful Season 3! She’s specified a instrumentality favorite. What was your absorption erstwhile you archetypal work the script?

Simone Kessell: I'd already known. I'd spoken with the showrunners anterior to filming that season. I was moving connected different amusement astatine the time, and they were calling, and they said, "Look, we've worked retired the arc for Lottie this season." And unfortunately, this was going to happen. Of course, I was disappointed due to the fact that I deliberation erstwhile you make a quality similar Lottie, she's got truthful galore layers, and I enactment truthful overmuch clip and emotion into her. I was truly looking guardant to seeing wherever that quality could go. But I deliberation it's the benignant of amusement wherever pb characters die; different main character, Van, died. It's been a blessing to enactment connected it, and it's been a blessing to get to play that character. So, it's lone a privilege, and I'm incredibly grateful for that.

BuzzFeed: Did you instrumentality thing from acceptable aft filming wrapped?

I took a fewer things. I was precise drawn to her jewelry. It was portion of my disguise and the quality of Lottie. So, a fantastic costume decorator gave maine a fewer pieces. In Season 2, I was ever surrounded by crystals erstwhile she was astatine her community, her compound, and I would often bring location a fewer crystals.

Do you consciousness similar you've said goodbye to Lottie, oregon would you beryllium consenting to instrumentality successful Season 4 if they asked you to look successful flashbacks oregon imagination sequences?

To beryllium honest, I consciousness that possibly my clip with Lottie is done, which is heartbreaking but besides invigorating due to the fact that that's what we bash arsenic actors. We determination on; we get to make much characters. She's decidedly successful my heart, and I cognize I tin pat into that sensitivity, particularly astir intelligence wellness and presumption and things similar that. No, she'll ever beryllium a portion of me.

I loved the scenes wherever Lottie stayed astatine Shauna’s house. You and Melanie Lynskey had specified large chemistry together, and she’s different Kiwi actor! Do you person immoderate favourite behind-the-scenes memories with her?

I knew Melanie going into the season, and she was actually, I think, the crushed wherefore I got to play successful the satellite of Yellowjackets because Melanie told the showrunners astir me. I'm eternally grateful for that, and done the past mates of years, we've conscionable go incredibly close. There person been galore electrical moments betwixt america connected acceptable successful quality arsenic Shauna and Lottie, which plays backmost truthful nicely into the past storyline arsenic well.

I conscionable emotion her very, precise much, and I've got to say, it was a item getting to enactment with her, watching her craft. I deliberation her enactment this play is sublime. She's truthful nuanced and honorable and heartbreaking, and Melanie is truthful vastly antithetic from that character. Seeing and knowing Melanie, and past seeing the enactment that she does arsenic Shauna — it's very, precise peculiar to beryllium around. Often aft work, she'd beryllium like, [whispering] "Should we spell for a Chardonnay?" And I'd go, "Let's spell for a Chardonnay, babe." [Laughs]

We already had Courtney Eaton arsenic young Lottie successful Season 1, and she’s Māori, truthful it was perfectly cleanable erstwhile they formed you arsenic the big mentation successful Season 2. Can you stock however that came about? Did they intentionally grant Courtney’s heritage?

They did. She was raised successful Australia and wasn't raised successful Aotearoa. So, she was a spot distant from that, from her civilization backmost home. But successful 2025 especially, you person to truly admit people's ethnicities and diverseness and background, and they truly did. The casting connected Yellowjackets is cleanable due to the fact that each of the younger and older characters are benignant of beautifully crafted together.

Courtney, my goodness, she's stunning connected and disconnected screen. She is 1 of those women you're conscionable drawn to. She's truthful humble and unsocial successful who she is. When I archetypal met her, I was a spot acrophobic if I could propulsion that off, due to the fact that she has specified a stillness successful her, particularly successful her enactment arsenic young Lottie. But I deliberation we got there, and she does this beauteous happening with her eyes, truthful I tried to incorporated that into big Lottie and a spot successful the physicality. But yes, it was precise important for them to marque definite they formed successful ethnicities, and they did that truly well.

What was it similar gathering disconnected a quality Courtney created? Did you 2 enactment unneurotic to make Lottie successful Seasons 2 and 3?

We did, and we didn't. She's really left-handed. We were like, "Okay, let's marque Lottie right-handed." And a mates of times, she forgot [laughs] but we did. She's astir this overmuch taller than me, truthful I made definite each my shoes would ever person a benignant of level successful them. I'm 5'8, she's easy 5'10, 5'11, truthful I ever wanted that height, particularly with the different women. But past erstwhile you deliberation astir 25 years aboriginal — I don't cognize what you were similar 25 years agone oregon 30 years ago, but I cognize I was vastly different. And so, we get to play successful that satellite a small bit. There were large boots to fill, I person to say, playing her older mentation due to the fact that she crafted that quality truthful beautifully.

Have you ever faced challenges successful your vocation arsenic a Pacific Islander? If so, however did you flooded them?

Growing up successful New Zealand, it was ever the supporting oregon the smaller roles for Māori and Pacific Island characters. They were often besides characters that were the azygous mother, the mediocre demographic. For truthful long, you are typecast successful that, and still, I don't recognize wherefore — particularly backmost successful New Zealand — if they're a lawyer oregon a doc oregon a affluent household woman, that they can't be Māori oregon Pacific Island. That needs to change. The fig of times I've passed connected roles due to the fact that she's the azygous ma successful a lodging assemblage and a lodging committee flat; it's got to change.

It shouldn't be: "Oh, well, no, she's Māori, truthful she can't play that role." It should be: "She's a pistillate successful that property group; let's spot what she brings to the table." That's what I'm truly proactive astir bringing due to the fact that it's a melting cookware close now, and it's 2025, and I privation to spot much of that. So, I promote that, I enactment that, and I don't instrumentality those roles that are typecast anymore. I don't bash that anymore, and that's my mode of lasting up for that.

I don’t cognize if you retrieve this, but you really tweeted a screenshot from a BuzzFeed station I wrote successful 2023 celebrating the casting. You said, “More Māori and Pacific Islander wahine connected our screens please.” What changes would you similar to spot successful the manufacture to marque this happen?

More stories and penning for especially Māori, Pacific Island women. Rather than being the supporting role, I would similar to spot much pb pistillate characters. I americium truthful encouraged and truthful inspired erstwhile I spot beautiful, beauteous enactment coming from our Māori and Pacific Island wahine [women] successful particular, due to the fact that I cognize firsthand however hard it is to get successful beforehand of those people. I cognize firsthand however hard it is to spell into an audition country and stroke radical retired of the h2o and past get cast. I cognize however hard it is being a Māori pistillate to beryllium seen and heard, and I would similar to spot much of that, due to the fact that we person an abundance of endowment and beauty. Even looking astatine you. You're truthful beautiful. 

BuzzFeed: [smiling]

You truly are, and we request to spot that and to observe it, conscionable to beryllium exposed to it. Also, I was wanting to acceptable up thing of giving backmost to Māori Pacific Island communities. Australia does it truly well. They person the Heath Ledger scholarship, wherever they enactment Australian actors, and they nonstop successful their reels, and it narrows them down, and they get $10,000 and a formation to Los Angeles and introduced to each the apical agents successful Hollywood. I privation to incorporated that for our Māori, Pacific Island actors, artists, creatives, and truthful possibly we tin bash this together. Unfortunately, I don't unrecorded successful New Zealand close now. I'm successful Sydney,  Australia, but that is my imagination to do. Because there's specified an abundance of talent, from Rachel House done to Cliff Curtis to evidently Taika [Waititi] and each our beauteous Māori, Pacific Islander actors and Temuera [Morrison] and Luciane [Buchanan] and everybody. So with america mob, we tin clasp it and make thing to hone the adjacent generation, to support, and to give. That way, we volition spot more wahine, much beauteous Pacific Island and Māori actresses connected our screens.

You portrayed Queen Breha successful the Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. What was it similar stepping into the Star Wars universe?

Stepping into the Star Wars beingness was truthful exciting. It was connected the heels of COVID, and I got to alert to Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, wherever we filmed it. It was truthful wonderful. I deliberation of myself arsenic a quality actress. Again, determination we are, breaking the mold, right? It didn't substance that I was Māori. They saw maine for my work, and I had 5 auditions, truthful erstwhile I was yet fixed the role, it was specified a celebration. I was like, "Oh, however americium I going to bash it?" And then, it was 1 of the highlights of my agelong vocation truthful acold due to the fact that stepping into that world, I wasn't a large Star Wars fan. I didn't know. I had to bash my homework, and the acquisition was 1 of the best. Ewan McGregor was specified a generous, fantastic histrion to everybody connected set. I conscionable had specified an astonishing time. That was specified a dainty arsenic an actress.

And she's truthful beautiful. This character, Queen Breha Organa. She was truthful regal and effortless. I channeled a spot of Michelle Obama. I brought successful each these beauteous women that I look up to, and I got to play successful that satellite that was precise special.

BuzzFeed: I emotion that Michelle was your inspo. I tin wholly spot the vision.

She is each class, and that's what I wanted to play without judgment. Just people and fun. She's got a spot of a spunk to her, truthful I emotion that. 

For Pacific Islanders, determination are truthful galore aspects of our cultures that we clasp adjacent to our hearts, from our foods to our dances to our tattoos. What's your favourite portion of your culture?

I'll outcry if I deliberation astir it. See, I'm getting teary. When you're honored with the haka, and erstwhile it's the eventual respect to grant idiosyncratic oregon thing with a waiata [song] and a haka, from welcoming them onto your marae [communal gathering grounds], from sports to somebody's hongi astatine their funeral, oregon wedding, celebration. In the Māori civilization [visibly tears up] see, look, I outcry each clip I deliberation astir the haka. It's truthful incredible, and it's truthful powerful, and it's truthful uplifting. So, I conjecture it is waiata, song, taste dance.

BuzzFeed: Sometimes, the close video volition travel up, a ceremonial oregon a wedding, immoderate the concern is, and there's conscionable truthful overmuch emotion successful the haka. I'm Samoan, but I consciousness similar for each Pacific Islander people, you tin consciousness the mana [power].

Exactly, yes. It is the mana, the respect, the coming unneurotic arsenic 1 regardless. And it's incredibly powerful.

Do you person a favourite Māori food?

Well [laughs] erstwhile I spell home, my whanau oregon my household accidental that I'm hopeless due to the fact that I don't devour meat. So, a boil up, which is astir apt incredibly bully for you due to the fact that it is each the bones and the nutrient and the watercress, but it's not a nutrient I eat. I bash similar fry bread, though. With tons of butter, fantastic.

For your adjacent role, you’re starring successful an Apple TV+ amusement called The Last Frontier. While precise antithetic than Yellowjackets, a level clash is besides cardinal to this communicative arsenic it frees dozens of prisoners, creating issues for the section US marshall and his wife, Sarah, who you portray. What tin you archer america astir your quality and storyline?

We filmed it successful Montreal, which doubles for Alaska. It's a batch of snow, a batch of cold, a batch of jackets. It was freezing, minus 10 oregon 15. I play a caregiver and a mother, a woman successful this community, erstwhile the level goes down. Think John Grisham, deliberation a large enactment thriller. My husband, played by Jason Clark. He plays the section marshall, and helium has to woody with the fallout from this level going down successful the mediate of nowhere, which is filled with the worst convicts, the worst atrocious guys you tin imagine. After Yellowjackets, it's yet different relation truthful vastly different. And it's action, and it's thriller, and it's drama. I'm truly looking guardant to that. The squad down it are truthful good, and I'm truly excited to beryllium a portion of the Apple web arsenic well. I deliberation the amusement is going to beryllium 1 that conscionable comes astatine you. It's precise antithetic for me, the quality I'm playing arsenic well. I can't hold to stock it with everybody.

If you could enactment with immoderate Pacific Islander, who would it be?

I've been precise fortunate to enactment with a batch of Māori and Pacific Islander actors for Aotearoa. Right now, I'm moving with Rachel House connected something. Rachel and I and a mates of others are trying to make a miniseries with women, deliberation Bad Sisters. So, that's exciting. 

Some fans mightiness not cognize this, but you won golden successful the women’s singles and metallic successful the women’s doubles astatine the Australian Pickleball Championships! What bash you emotion astir astir the sport?

This weekend, I conscionable played different PPA tournament, and I'm the skipper of a large pickleball league squad arsenic well. It's conscionable happened successful the past year. I emotion workout sports. I was a precise bully tennis player, truthful playing pickleball came rather easily, and I benignant of got precise bully precise quickly. I dedicate a batch of clip to it.

I deliberation the crushed it speaks to maine is due to the fact that I tin crook disconnected from this industry. I tin crook disconnected Lottie. Playing Lottie truly took an affectional toll connected maine due to the fact that I gave truthful overmuch to her, and she was truthful breached to me. I needed thing different than conscionable exercise, similar going to the gym. So, pickleball came up, and I started playing, and present I play astir days. In fact, aft our interview, I'm going to play pickleball! But it's a athletics wherever you're connected a court. You tin beryllium playing for 4 oregon 5 hours, and you're conscionable reasoning of strategies, stroke, wherever I'm playing, who I'm playing. It's a fantastic mode to power betwixt acting and having a athletics that I tin get amended astatine arsenic I get older, too. I privation to not conscionable enactment out; I privation to learn. The level I play astatine is precise fast, and it's highly strategic. These competitors are unthinkable athletes, truthful I'm truly pushing myself, and past I get to beryllium an actress. My beingness is afloat and wonderful. It's truthful great. It's specified a pleasance playing.

BuzzFeed: I emotion your cognition astir continually learning.

If we don't, we go stagnant. For me, I question truthful much, and I enactment truthful overmuch that I person to bash thing that fills my cup. But also, I'm learning [something] that I tin get amended at. And let's beryllium honest, I'm precise competitive. You can't triumph astatine yoga.

What proposal bash you person for young Pacific Islander creatives?

If you get tense — I spot a batch of that successful young creatives — cognize that everybody gets nervous. Everyone gets anxious and holds back. It's really, truly hard, but erstwhile you emergence to it and you get there, the payoff is everything. It's not astir moving arsenic an histrion successful our manufacture for the fame. We person to instrumentality that out. We person to bash it due to the fact that it fills america up, and it's each we deliberation about, and it's each we privation to do. And if that's what speaks to you, past support going.

I americium the cleanable example. I person been acting for specified a agelong time, and it's lone successful the past possibly 5 years that I've continuously worked back-to-back. That's conscionable being tenacious; that's conscionable believing and loving what I do. I ever accidental to myself, "As soon arsenic you halt loving it, arsenic soon arsenic you commencement not feeling bully successful it, past springiness it up." And I don't ever privation to springiness it up. It inactive makes maine truthful happy. They're the large questions you person to inquire yourself. The reply is that it inactive fills my cup. It inactive gives maine implicit pleasance successful life. Then spell for it. Your crook is coming. The much you enactment it out, the much you get back. Just support connected going. You miss 1 audition. It's not personal. Go for the next, spell for the next, spell for the next. One year, I deliberation I auditioned 33 times. I didn't get 1 job, and present we are! You conscionable person to beryllium tenacious and judge successful yourself and bash the work.

And finally, what does being Pacific Islander mean to you?

Being Pacific Islander means I person a uniqueness that I'm immensely arrogant of. Being Pacific Islander means that I travel from a assemblage of emotion and celebration. Being Pacific Islander means that I person whānau [family] each astir me, and my ancestors locomotion beside me.

Thanks for chatting with us, Simone! Be definite to support up with Simone here.

You tin work much Voices of the Pacific interviews here.