Yellowjackets' Nuha Jes Izman Actually Had A Lot Of Fun Falling Off A Cliff
As soon as I saw Misty and Crystal (Samantha Hanratty and Nuha Jes Izman) walk toward a cliff to dump the bucket in the "Yellowjackets" episode, "Two Truths and a Lie," I got a bad feeling. It seemed rather ominous to stage a scene in such a dangerous location. The development of Misty and Crystal's relationship has been one of the most intriguing aspects of season 2, revealing a whole new layer of Misty's loneliness and love of musicals.
Another outcast on the Yellowjackets team, Crystal, is the only person who truly gets Misty. "Do you get how lucky we are? Some people never find someone they trust enough to share their deepest secrets," Crystal says during their rapid-fire secret-spilling session. Overcome with excitement, Misty admits she destroyed the plane's emergency transmitter. Hanratty's reaction to Izman's horrified look is deeply unsettling: her wide eyes flash with unchecked rage and she growls deeply "I will f***king kill you" before edging Crystal off the cliff.
Hanratty said that she felt like a Method actor during this scene because she had developed such a tight bond with Izman over the course of filming. And since they were just as close in real life as the Yellowjackets misfits, Crystal's rejection felt even more heartbreaking for Hanratty as an actor. Their strong connection, however, also let them have some fun during filming — even during Crystal's harrowing death scene.
One last time as besties
According to her recent interview with the AV Club, Nuha Jes Izman knew her character would have a tragic fate since she was only contracted for five episodes in the nine-episode season. On the day of shooting her death scene, she and Samantha Hanratty made light of the unhappy circumstances:
"[T]he day of was really sad. We'd gotten so close over months and months of being with each other, and we knew I was flying out the morning after. So it really was just like, one last time to have fun with each other. And then all the cliff stuff and everything was actually pretty fun — she would push me off the cliff, or I would fall off the cliff, I don't know, we don't really know what happens there! But it was nice, it was fun, it was intense ... it really was just one last opportunity for us to have fun together, and I think that helped with the scene. Because neither [Crystal nor Misty] really see it coming. They're just having fun until the moment happens."
Crystal and Misty's giggly, enthusiastic connection completely shatters when Misty reveals her dreadful secret. Up until this point, the scene gradually builds its gripping tension as the camera gets closer and closer to the girls' faces mid-pinky swear and the menacing music swells. After her confession, Misty oozes with fear and desperation to preserve her reputation.
Samantha Hanratty and Nuha Jes Izman's commanding performances and off-screen friendship make Misty and Crystal's confrontation one of the most shocking scenes in "Yellowjackets" thus far.