“Yellowjacket” Season 3 was a blood bath — but one main character’s death hit star Tawny Cypress especially hard.
Warning: spoilers below!
The actress, who plays adult Taissa Turner (aka Tai) in the hit series, wiped away tears when discussing Van’s brutal murder last week.
In Episode 9, titled “How the story ends,” adult Van (played by Lauren Ambrose) was fatally stabbed in the chest by Hilary Swank’s character, adult Melissa. Fans didn’t see it coming, as Van’s death was foreshadowed by her aggressive cancer diagnosis.
The Post spoke to Cypress at the “Yellowjackets” Season 3 finale event in North Hollywood, California, on Thursday, April 10, and she got emotional over having to say goodbye to her on-screen lover and real-life friend. She also revealed a scene she filmed for that horrendous moment was cut out of the final product.
In the finale, fans watched as Tai took Van’s corpse to the woods. While many thought she was trying to bury her without a trace, she did the unthinkable by ripping out her heart and eating it as a way to balance Mother Earth and, in a freakish way, give back to nature.
Tai’s stomach-turning thought process was a damaging lesson she learned decades earlier when her soccer team’s plane crashed, and they were stranded in the woods for over 19 months.
Cypress couldn’t hold back the tears when asked how difficult it was to say goodbye to Ambrose’s character.
“It’s been really hard,” she told The Post, noting that Ambrose was sick and unable to attend the finale event.
“She was supposed to be here tonight. I was gonna see her,” the actress explained as the waterworks began. “Don’t make me cry. I’m not gonna see her, and it’s hard.”
Cypress insisted that her tears in the final scene with Van “were absolutely real.”
The star continued to share behind-the-scenes tidbits about the last time her character laid eyes on Van — revealing a big moment in the woods didn’t make the final cut.
“Honestly, I got written the best speech I’ve ever gotten to say in my life. They cut it. You’re not going to see it, unfortunately,” Cypress told The Post exclusively. “I don’t know what happened.”
She clarified that Tai’s monologue was right before she ripped out Van’s heart.
“There’s a huge speech that’s beautifully written talking about the love that she has for Van,” Cypress said. “I treasured that speech.”
Despite the letdown, the actress joked, “I think the scene still works. I’m not gonna s–t on people, but I think this scene really works well.”
Cypress also shared that Van’s heart was the “consistency of a gummy bear” and “strawberry flavored” but tasted like it had been “sitting around for a year.”
She had to go through three hearts until they finally got the take.
When asked what it was like working with season newcomer Swank, Cypress had the same reaction as most of her castmates.
“Hillary’s a f—ing legend,” she responded.
The Oscar winner joined the cast for only two episodes in the latest season — but she packed a punch and changed the course of many of the core characters’ lives.
Swank spoke to The Post about whether she’d consider returning to the series if it’s picked up for a Season 4 — and her response may surprise you.
As of this publication, the psychological thriller has not been renewed.
“Yellowjackets,” which was first released in 2021, chronicles a teenage soccer team in the ’90s whose plane goes down in the Canadian wilderness, and they are forced to do what it takes to survive.
The show flip-flops between the ’90s and the present day, following the few who made it out alive and are living their adult lives.
Cypress and Van’s characters were two of them. Christina Ricci and Melanie Lynskey also play the adult versions of the crash survivors.
Season 3 of “Yellowjackets” is available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime.
