Yellowjackets’s Steven Krueger Played the Long Game With Coach Ben

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Spoilers follow for “Thanksgiving (Canada),” the sixth episode of season three of Yellowjackets.

Poor Coach Ben, a recurring sentiment among Yellowjackets viewers, has endured numerous hardships throughout the series’ three seasons. On the first day after their plane to nationals crashed in the Canadian wilderness, his player Misty Quigley (Samantha Hanratty) was forced to amputate Ben’s leg with an ax. In season two, overwhelmed by his longing for his boyfriend Paul back home and ostracized for his refusal to partake in cannibalism, he contemplated suicide. In season three, he was accused (though possibly falsely) of setting the fire that destroyed their cabin during the winter. Despite being the only adult among them, he holds the least authority in this chaotic power structure.

Krueger’s deeply emotional yet physical acting has significantly shaped the portrayal of Ben’s suffering on the show, from the torment of starvation to the desperation of being disbelieved. In season three, Ben’s struggle for survival was largely futile, even with allies like Natalie Scatorccio (Sophie Thatcher), who tried to shield him from the team’s bloodthirst, and Misty, who put up a strong defense during his mock trial. However, in “Thanksgiving (Canada)”, Ben meets his sympathetic demise at the hands of Nat, who mercy-killed him after a grueling forced feeding that left him feeling more hopeless than ever. This event sets the stage for the next chapter of the story as a new group discovers the camp shortly after the girls have consumed Ben’s body.

For numerous admirers of the series and Krueger himself, Ben’s demise seemed inevitable. Despite wishing for Coach Ben to make it through the wilderness and appear as a grown-up character in present times (I often imagined myself playing the older version of me, similar to Mandy Moore in This Is Us), this wasn’t feasible for the narrative to continue unfolding, he admits. “Ben’s death triggers a sequence of events, a domino effect. All those occurrences would not have taken place if he were still alive.

At what point did you discover your character was destined to perish during this season, and how did you respond? I had been aware from the start that Coach Ben’s narrative would culminate in this season. The showrunners had hinted consistently, both through rumors and direct communication, that season three would mark the end of his storyline. Typically, actors don’t learn about their characters’ deaths until just before the relevant episodes. To maintain a sense of order, it’s not ideal for someone to unexpectedly demand more pay, saying, “If I’m dying, I want more money.” Our showrunners chose to deviate from that common practice. If you had directly asked them about it, they might have regretted their decision. No actor enjoys being informed that their job is at stake. However, it’s not my character who is being terminated; rather, a character’s death is an integral part of the storyline’s natural progression.

Was it something you were informed about back when you were brought on board, albeit informally, perhaps during private discussions with the showrunners, that “Coach Ben would be sticking around for a while longer, and then by the time we reach season three, he’d likely meet his fate”?

It’s interesting to note that even though shows like this often start with a preconceived idea, the creators encounter numerous unexpected scenarios along the way. However, I must admit that they generally manage to adhere to their original plans more often than not.

At the climax of the episode, a fresh group appears post-feast ceremony. The sight of my own severed head left me with mixed feelings: Impressive work on the sculpture, and bravo to those responsible for such an accurate likeness, but at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling repulsed by it. Was it what I expected? Not quite. I thought I’d be intrigued, thinking, “Of course, I want to see it; this is art.” However, upon seeing it, I experienced a strange duality: admiration for the craftsmanship and fear of the uncanny resemblance to myself. It felt like gazing into my own mortality.
 
Before embarking on this season, did you believe that Ben had truly set fire to the cabin?
The initial cut of last season’s finale was so extensive that they had to omit substantial portions. Scenes we filmed were left out. The episode was scripted in a way that suggested Ben burning down the cabin quite clearly, but it was also shot in such a manner that they could easily remove segments and make the culpability more enigmatic. I assumed Ben had torched the cabin throughout the process, yet I appreciate the decision to make it more ambiguous.
In my mind, I believed he was responsible for the fire. It adds an intriguing layer of mystery when they choose to leave things open-ended like that.

How did your makeup team manage to depict Ben’s decline towards malnutrition in these latest episodes, particularly the last one? They were exceptional. I have photographs from set that I still look at sometimes, and they made me look truly unwell. Additionally, I took a long-term approach: Since the start of the series, I had a sense of where this story was headed, so I planned my physical transformation accordingly. Initially, I added extra weight to embody Ben as a 1990s muscular ex-athlete from New Jersey. As our characters struggled with starvation in the wilderness, I gradually reduced my size. By season two, I was at my usual weight. For season three, I knew we would face Ben’s most desperate circumstances, so I intentionally lost a significant amount of weight to portray that accurately.

In my opinion, the storyline for Ben in this series was deeply personal rather than a bid for attention or sensationalism. The focus wasn’t merely on how he appeared on camera but more so on the profound impact it had on him psychologically. I recall an article about Bradley Cooper from American Sniper where he spoke of gaining weight and perceiving the world differently due to it. This resonated with me as I experienced the opposite – shedding weight and feeling weaker, even vulnerable, especially while on set. At one point, my co-star may have thought he could protect the female characters physically, but not this season. The physical and emotional transformation of Ben’s character seemed authentic to me, mirroring a cycle of hope and despair.

From season two to three, it seems like Ben’s story follows a pattern: He appears resigned to his fate, as evidenced by his near-suicide attempt last season, only for some catalyst to spark a brief fight in him again. This happens multiple times throughout the series, even at the trial where he knew the odds were against him but believed he could survive. However, he would slip back into resignation at the verdict. By episode five, there was still some fight left in him, but by episode six, he was ready for it to be over with. This rollercoaster of emotions felt very real and natural to me, reflecting the highs and lows that come with a challenging situation where sometimes you’re ready to face it head-on, and other times, you feel drained and defeated.

At one moment, the girls wish Ben were dead, yet he’s struggling to stay alive; then, in another instant, he wants to die, but they compel him to live. When things appeared favorable for me, I intentionally took a different path to pull everyone back towards a balanced decision-making point. This dilemma served as my guiding principle throughout the season.

1. What made Nat the ideal candidate for killing Ben? Of all the individuals, Ben had formed the strongest bond with Natalie. They viewed each other as spiritual twins, a connection that was established way back in season one. Getting to spend time with Sophie Thatcher was an absolute joy. We quickly formed a deep connection over our shared passion for acting and storytelling. This bond was present from the start. If you had to choose, Natalie was the person who should carry out the deed because it stemmed from love, not spite, hate, or vengeance.

2. How did you interpret Misty’s final affectionate gesture in kissing Ben? I found it endearing. Reading about it made me chuckle to myself. This was exactly the kind of reaction that Misty would have, while everyone else might think, “What are you doing?” It was completely normal for her. Filming that scene with Samantha was a lot of fun. We get along really well.

3. Did you participate in filming the scene where your body is depicted as a bridge in episode five? That was something I had never done before. It involved standing on a large blue screen, which wasn’t very comfortable. They would lift me up and roll the cameras while I took deep breaths at different cadences, then lower me back down. Spending three or four minutes on that platform was enough before my body said, “Enough, this isn’t comfortable anymore. Let’s take a break.”

4. Last season, you primarily filmed on a soundstage. Was there more filming outside in this season? Yes. The set designers had a huge task in season two to create the appearance of winter, but for us, we all prefer working outdoors because it adds a level of realism to our performances. You can roll around in the dirt, and everything feels authentic instead of doing it on a soundstage.

What lessons have you gained from this experience? This role was one of the toughest I’ve encountered in my career, and I’m eager for more roles that demand such emotional, psychological, and physical intensity. On a broader note, it’s heartening to see that our show has resonated with an audience, proving that there’s a hunger for fresh, innovative ideas today. The entertainment industry seems to be stuck in a pattern where not much risk is taken; we keep seeing reboots, spin-offs, and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for reboots and spin-offs! If you have a Marvel movie ready, just let me know where to sign up! However, I hope the industry will regain its courage to take more risks, enabling creators to guide audiences to places they might not even realize they want to go, rather than relying on computers, algorithms, and data to dictate what the next big thing should be.

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2025-03-15 04:57