From a serial killer to a roller derby queen, Juliette Lewis has excelled at playing wild cards and outliers. The former child actor and '90s It Girl returns to the fray on Sunday with Season 2 of Showtime's breakout hit, "Yellowjackets," reprising her role as the hard-drinking, expert markswoman Natalie. The show alternates between present day and 1996, when her all-girl high school soccer team fought for survival after their plane crashed in the wilderness. And now as an adult, she's haunted by what they had to do to make it out alive (as are fans of the show).
"Yellowjackets" can be best described as a psychological thriller with dark cannibalistic tendencies, and Lewis' performance is one of her more notable forays into series TV to date (other recent projects include HBO's "I Know This Much Is True" and Hulu's "Welcome to Chippendales"). But Lewis is no stranger to garnering attention with her dynamic performances. At 19, she landed an Oscar nomination for her role in Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear." Lewis went on to star in films like "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "Kalifornia" and Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" — all before turning 22. But the pressures and excesses of fame were too much, and she withdrew from the spotlight.
Now back in her element, Lewis spoke with the L.A. Times. Wearing a faded lilac sweatshirt emblazoned with the word "Dreamer," black nail polish, worn sneakers and rainbow tie-dye socks, she discussed her rise to fame, her retreat and what it means that "Yellowjackets" is now one of the most anticipated series returning to television.
