‘Yellowjackets’ Pit Girl Actress On Filming “Full Circle” Pilot Scene

SPOILERS: This post contains details about the Yellowjackets, Season 3 finale episode ‘Full Circle’

Nearly six years in the making, one of Yellowjackets‘ most anticipated scenes finally came to fruition on this week’s Season 3 finale episode.

After a faceless brunette was teased as a victim of the cannibalistic soccer team’s “hunt” in the beginning of the 2021 Karyn Kusama-directed pilot episode, Mari actress Alexa Barajas told Deadline she’s long “had a feeling” her character would be revealed as the infamous ‘Pit Girl’.

“I didn’t always know, but I did have a hunch,” said Barajas. “I think after watching the pilot, I saw this girl running in the woods, and I said, ‘I think I look a whole lot like her.’ So, I had a feeling that that this was where it was gonna all end up, and I am so excited that we finally got to do it.”

Fans are sure to be excited as well, as many have been theorizing about Pit Girl’s identity since the beginning, as well as the ‘Antler Queen’ (who is also revealed to be Sophie Nélisse’s Shauna).

“I think it’s so funny ’cause the fans, I think they’re on such polar opposite ends,” explained Barajas. “They either really want me to be Pit Girl or they really don’t want me to be Pit Girl, but I think in the end, they both know I’m gonna be Pit Girl. And so hopefully, now that they’re getting their answers, they’ll be satisfied.”

Barajas also noted that her character’s fate was foreshadowed at the beginning of the season, when Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) captured her in the same pit, which hadn’t yet been modified with Travis’ (Kevin Alves) death spikes that were intended for Lottie (Courtney Eaton).

“All the pit stuff, it was cool cause I actually got to spend time in the pit. Not only did I get to end there, but I got to actually have full scenes inside the pit,” said Barajas, adding that she had “so much fun, probably my favorite season yet.”

Read on about Yellowjackets star Alexa Barajas’ experience recreating the infamous ‘Pit Girl’ scene from the pilot for the Season 3 finale ‘Full Circle’, which is now available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime, before airing Sunday at 8pm ET on Showtime.

DEADLINE: I was so excited to see Pit Girl finally be revealed. How far back did you know that Mari was going to be Pit Girl? 

ALEXA BARAJAS: I didn’t always know, but I did have a hunch. I think after watching the pilot, I saw this girl running in the woods, and I said, “I think I look a whole lot like her.” So, I had a feeling that that this was where it was gonna all end up, and I am so excited that we finally got to do it. 

DEADLINE: I know the pilot was shot months before a lot of you came on, so did they include specifically “brunette” or something in Mari’s casting breakdown? 

BARAJAS: I don’t actually remember, but I wanna say probably. I think it must have been there and I probably just didn’t even think about it at the time that I was signing up for it. 

DEADLINE: But you came on after that? 

BARAJAS: Yeah, after the pilot was actually shot, I came on. And it was cool because I got to actually watch the pilot before filming episode two, and then we shot some scenes to add on to the pilot. It honestly just made it so exciting ’cause I love the pilot, so it just set me up for a great season. 

DEADLINE: Have you been keeping up with all of the fan theories and everyone who is guessing that you were Pit Girl? 

BARAJAS: Yeah, I think it’s so funny ’cause the fans, I think they’re on such polar opposite ends. They either really want me to be Pit Girl or they really don’t want me to be Pit Girl, but I think in the end, they both know I’m gonna be Pit Girl. And so hopefully, now that they’re getting their answers, they’ll be satisfied. 

DEADLINE: Tell me about like recreating that opening scene from the pilot. Was it difficult kind of like nailing all of the movements? 

BARAJAS: I mean, I really wanted it to match as much as possible, so that you can feel that full circle moment. And I really paid attention to the way she was running and wanted to make sure that all the pieces were in place, the way that she’s laying in the pit, for that to match properly. We really wanted to do it right. It was cool, I got to collaborate with the hair department and the wardrobe department as to how we wanted this reveal to happen, cause as soon as she draws the card, I think hopefully you’re still unsure as to whether it’s her or not. And then, once she goes to do the scarecrow and the zipper comes undone and the jacket comes off, and the hair is all of a sudden down, you go, “Oh shit, it is her!” And then you get some beats of her running through through the woods, getting hunted, until she’s finally in the pit. 

DEADLINE: With the spike through her face.

BARAJAS: Yeah, through and through.

DEADLINE: And it was obviously satisfying realizing that we finally get to see Pit Girl, but it’s also super devastating how it happened with Shauna ruining their plan and then kind of getting back at Mari after their long-standing beef. Tell me about that and how it fits into her ultimate arc. 

BARAJAS: I think it’s really cool this season cause you see her have so much conflict with Shauna right off the top, and you see them literally physically fighting at the beginning. And I think Mari is really just trying to prove to everybody, “Can’t you see what’s going on? Don’t you see who she is and what she’s doing?” And I don’t think anybody really believes her until it’s too late, and Shauna really just kind of took power and took over everybody. So, I think it’s awesome that it really does again feel very full circle that you see them having so much conflict in the beginning, and then kind of make up somewhere in the middle, and then by the end, it is Shauna’s fault ultimately that she she changes the odds and gets Mari to be the one, unintentionally in some way, to pick the queen of hearts. 

DEADLINE: Yeah, but it’s extra sad that it happened just before they supposedly get rescued because Natalie calls for help as well. But I guess that has to be what pushes them into getting exposed when they do get found, and Shauna being depicted as the monster of the show.

BARAJAS: Yeah, 100%, and I mean she was so close to to making it, but it just didn’t go her way. 

DEADLINE: Do you think Mari’s death was part of the guilt that pushed Travis to kill himself since he was the one who set up the pit. 

BARAJAS: Yeah, poor Travis, man. I feel like he’s got so many deaths on his back. He feels, I’m sure, guilty for Jackie, for his brother. And now, having been the one to—cause Mari did survive the pit without the spikes at the beginning of the season, so now the spikes are what made it… the killer bit. 

DEADLINE: Also on the topic of guilt, do you think she felt guilt about getting Coach Ben captured? 

BARAJAS: A hundred percent. I think when she was with him in the caves, she was so vulnerable, and in some ways, it was so nice that we got to see Mari shed off her hard exterior that she keeps up with everybody. And after she spends so much time with with Coach Ben, she was able to to get in touch with her vulnerable side and her “real self.” And I think she didn’t necessarily want him dead, she just wanted to be accepted by the group. I think she felt in a corner, threw him under the bus, not expecting the repercussions that were gonna come with it. And once she couldn’t defend him anymore, I do think that she feels like his death was her fault, that he deserved better and and his suffering was her fault. 

DEADLINE: What was it like for you getting a chance to flesh out Mari this season, and all of those emotions before this ultimate reveal? 

BARAJAS: It was so much fun. I think what’s so fun about Mari is that even though the topics can be so dark and heavy, she somehow can be so naive or oblivious that she’ll just make light of things, almost not on purpose. So, it just makes it so fun for me to play. She at the end of the day is a teenager going through all this. Like when she’s singing the song in the cave, there’s such a lighthearted part of Mari. But it was also nice to get in touch with what’s really inside and what she was really thinking and get to voice it for everybody to also get to know. That was really awesome. And then, she’s so quick to switch from one side to the other, as soon as she’s back with the group, she’s like, “Actually, I like this.” And she just completely went 180 on on what she had accomplished. 

DEADLINE: Yeah, but I feel like that’s kind of the theme with a lot of the girls. It feels like there are alliances being made and then switched in these last few episodes, especially as they’re seemingly about to get rescued.

BARAJAS: Yeah, it really made everyone kind of decide, you’re either here or there, and the line was clearly drawn. 

DEADLINE: Also, I keep up with a lot of the fan forums, and I just wanted to tell you that you had a lot of quotable nuggets this season, from, “go fuck your blood dirt, Lottie,” to, “I walked back to civilization so I could fuck your dad.”

BARAJAS: [LAUGHS] I remember reading that and going, “Oh, this is so funny. I am so happy I get to say this.” 

DEADLINE: Have you had fans quoting any of the other lines to you, or any favorites of yours? 

BARAJAS: I mean, I hope that the next one to get quoted now is, “Oh my god, fuck off.” I think that’s the perfect line to be her final words. I think that they’re very fitting to Mari.

DEADLINE: Yeah, definitely a mood. I feel like Mari’s gonna live on in meme form forever.

BARAJAS: Forever