Simone Kessell’s Coincidental Journey Through Plane Crash Dramas

In a lighthearted observation about her recent career trajectory, Simone Kessell has noticed a peculiar pattern emerging in her acting roles: she keeps finding herself in shows involving plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness. The 50-year-old actress, fresh from her memorable role as adult Lottie in the hit Showtime series “Yellowjackets,” has now landed in Apple TV+’s new thriller “The Last Frontier.” During an exclusive interview, Kessell joked about the uncanny parallel, saying, “Originally I was like, ‘What is it with Canada?’ Plus the plane crash and the wilderness.” The coincidence hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans either, with some playfully warning on social media: “Don’t get on a plane with Simone.” Kessell takes it all in good humor, pointing out that at least in her new role, she’s “not on the plane” when disaster strikes.

Despite the surface-level similarities, Kessell emphasizes the distinct differences between her characters and the shows themselves. While “Yellowjackets” follows a high school girls’ soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash—eventually descending into cannibalism during their 19-month ordeal—”The Last Frontier” presents a different type of survival story. “This is more of an action thriller,” Kessell explains, adding with a smile, “I think I have sanity perhaps on my side with this role—unlike our beautiful Lottie from Yellowjackets.” Her character in “Yellowjackets,” adult Lottie, met her demise in a March episode of the second season, allowing Kessell to pivot to this new challenging role alongside co-stars Jason Clarke, Dominic Cooper, and Haley Bennett in the Apple TV+ series that premiered on October 10.

In “The Last Frontier,” the story centers on U.S. Marshal Frank, portrayed by Jason Clarke, who must protect his remote Alaskan town while investigating a plane crash that has released dangerous fugitives into the wilderness. Kessell plays Sarah, Frank’s wife and a nurse, but she’s quick to point out that her character defies the stereotypical “worried wife at home” trope often seen in action dramas. “It’s incredibly important to not play the worried wife at home,” Kessell emphasizes with conviction. “As the character unfolds, she is carrying her own trauma, which we find out later in the season. Something horrific has happened to her as their family unit.” This complexity immediately drew Kessell to the role, appreciating that even in the script, Sarah was never written as one-dimensional. “I did not want to play the candy-coated and one note wife that we have seen time and time again,” she explains, highlighting her commitment to portraying authentic relationships on screen.

The authenticity of Frank and Sarah’s marriage forms the emotional core of “The Last Frontier,” something Kessell takes particular pride in helping to create. “To me, it was vastly important that the relationship between Frank and Sarah is real ugly, honest, heartbreaking and traumatic,” she reveals. This commitment to portraying the full spectrum of a long-term relationship—including the disagreements, frustrations, and unspoken understandings—was paramount to Kessell’s approach to the role. “You have seen so many phony relationships between husband and wife. But that’s not Sarah—and that’s what I love about her. I wanted to make sure that Sarah was real and I played her incredibly realistically,” she shares with passion, giving credit to the show’s creative team for supporting this vision of marital complexity.

What makes the on-screen relationship even more compelling is Kessell’s genuine friendship with co-star Jason Clarke, which translates into a believable marital dynamic. “Getting to work with Jason day in and day out was such a thrill,” Kessell enthuses. “We are dear friends so much so that we can bicker, we can get pissed off with each other and we can correct each other.” This real-life comfort level allowed them to create moments of authentic interaction that might otherwise feel contrived. “If he’s dropped a line or I’ve dropped a line in the scene, I correct him or he’ll correct me. It’s real and it plays on the screen,” she explains. Their relationship brings a sense of normalcy to an otherwise extraordinary scenario, providing viewers with emotional anchoring amidst the high-octane action sequences.

As new episodes of “The Last Frontier” continue to release weekly on Fridays on Apple TV+, viewers can look forward to the developing story of Frank and Sarah’s relationship against the backdrop of wilderness survival and fugitive pursuit. Kessell believes this grounded relationship serves an essential purpose within the show’s broader narrative: “I think also the relationship is essential to the craziness of the world. Every time we see them, it’s the quiet and calm before the storm.” Through her portrayal of Sarah, Kessell continues to demonstrate her versatility as an actress, moving seamlessly from the psychological horror elements of “Yellowjackets” to the action-thriller dynamics of “The Last Frontier”—even if both happen to involve plane crashes in remote North American wilderness. The coincidence may follow her, but Kessell’s ability to create distinct, multidimensional characters ensures that her performances remain anything but repetitive.