Why Yellowjackets' Natalie Is The Hardest Character Sophie Thatcher Has Played

As a teenage girl who endures unimaginable trauma while trying to survive in the Canadian wilderness — where everyone goes absolutely feral in "Lord of the Flies"-esque rivalries and ultimately resorts to cannibalism — it makes sense that playing Natalie in "Yellowjackets" would be one of actor Sophie Thatcher's greatest challenges. With its recent renewal for a fourth season, which was later announced to be the series' last season, there's no telling how far the "Yellowjackets" story will go or what emotional terrain Thatcher will have to navigate as her character's survival grows even more precarious.

But in a 2025 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Thatcher revealed another reason why playing Natalie wasn't easy. "They gave me a little synopsis of the character, and I played a heightened version of what I thought of myself. I think that she's the closest character to me that I've played — which is also why she's the hardest for me to play," she admitted. Playing Natalie meant tapping into her own edgy personality and vulnerabilities, shaped by her past as an outcast growing up in her Mormon community.

Another reason the role of Natalie was challenging for Sophie Thatcher was having to mirror her counterpart in the adult "Yellowjackets" timeline, played by Juliette Lewis. Although Thatcher was cast before Lewis and was drawing on herself to play the part, the series' release in 2021 brought unexpected pressure from fans to live up to the qualities they admired in Lewis' performance — especially her husky voice and piercing stare. "I definitely felt more stressed after reading comments online saying things like, 'Juliette and Sophie sound so much alike.' Becoming aware of that didn't help! Self-awareness will kill an actor ... You lose your spark, your authenticity, your vulnerability," Thatcher told Harper's Bazaar. 

Creating a performance that wouldn't be an imitation, honored Lewis' spirit, and made it Thatcher's own without being in Lewis' shadow was a delicate balancing act. Thatcher didn't have to contend with this in season three, where Natalie was no longer part of the adult timeline, and the teen timeline in the season three finale set the stage for a potential Shauna vs. Natalie showdown. But Lewis' departure from the show had an impact on Thatcher, as she shared with Entertainment Tonight in February 2025, "It was hard this season, 'cause I felt empty without her."