“Am I Dead?”: Ella Purnell Recalls Her Reaction to Seeing Jackie’s Charred Body in 'Yellowjackets'

Spoiler alert for Yellowjackets fans! During a Fan Expo in Chicago, Jackie Taylor actress Ella Purnell was asked about her reaction to seeing her character’s dead body on the show, being cooked and eaten.

Purnell explained that even though she didn’t have enough time to read the whole script for season 2, she knew the scene was coming. She admitted she was too busy filming Fallout and was altogether exhausted due to its demanding schedule.

“I just woke up one morning, and I had all these pictures from my Yellowjackets castmates of them taking selfies with my charred corpse. You know when you wake up and you don’t know where you are? It was like that, but on steroids, because I woke up and I was like, ‘Am I dead? What’s happened?’ So, it was a little bit disconcerting.”

She then admitted she didn’t have the courage to watch the episode, saying she’s afraid of what it might do to her mental health.

“I’m gonna tell you a secret: I actually haven’t watched that episode because I don’t know what it’s going to do to my mental health. I don’t want to risk it.”

Purnell’s character on the show, Jackie Taylor, dies of hypothermia, and the team decides to give her a Viking funeral. As the fire cooks her flesh, the starving team resorts to eating her. No wonder Purnell’s worried!

Season 2 of Yellowjackets premiered in March 2023, and the third season which started filming in May this year is set to premiere in 2025, with Hilary Swank cast in an unknown role. Stay tuned for more updates!