Tonight's episode of Stargirl was a big one following the ISA vs JSA battle. Courtney's new JSA lost their first member as Yolanda made the choice to never put on the Wildcat costume again. She struggled throughout the episode to find a way to be forgiven for killing Brainwave and for what she felt was the only solution to Eclipso, killing him as well! Finally, when the dust was all settled, Yolanda couldn't find a path forward as she even killed Brainwave again in her vision. What was real, what was just in her mind, was any of it Eclipso? We spoke with Yvette Monreal herself to get the answers and highlight the Easter Eggs you might have missed!
Stargirl.tv: At the end of episode 206, Yolanda makes the declaration that “Eclipso must be killed”, but at the end of 207, Yolanda quits the team. That’s quite a big shift, tell us about the struggle Yolanda has gone through this episode.
It was really hard for Yolanda to see Cindy and Issac get eaten alive. I think she feels for them, of course, and she sees Eclipso as an [evil] villain and there needs to be some justification to kill him. She goes to the priest to try and make sense of how some people deserve to not be here anymore. [For example] Brainwave, if it wasn't Brainwave, it would have been her team. Yolanda is trying to make sense of this moral issue and she going back and forth with her feeling that she doesn't think that Eclipso should be here. Eclipso is trying to get rid of everyone and if it's not him it's everyone else.
She is trying to get the priest to recognize that this is [Yolanda] helping god. She'll be sacrificing this villain to save the rest of the world. There needs to be some kind of forgiveness. She's really trying to make sense of the whole situation because, in her mind, she's really trying to help, but, she cannot kill, in the Bible it's the biggest sin, so it's really hard for her, she's having a hard time.
Stargirl.tv: Yolanda’s visions seem to ramp up in intensity after she gives young Bruce Gordon a lollipop, is that coincidence?
From what I've learned from the writers, they always place little Easter Eggs on purpose, so I wouldn't completely dismiss that. It's definitely something that you'll see a little bit more going into the [future] episodes. It's probably an Easter egg.
Stargirl.tv: In true Eclipso fashion we are left wondering what is real, did Brainwave sync his mind with Yolanda? Will that be revisited?
Yes, Yolanda has this episode where she sees Henry, she sees Brainwave. It's all becoming a lot for her. She feels like its God's punishment and this is all happening because of her beliefs. Later on, the reason for why this happened does get revealed but for right now this is her wrong doing, this is because of the choices she made. She is coping with it and she really needs validation. She goes to Courtney for that and she doesn't really get [validation].
Stargirl.tv: The fight with Brainwave in the church has Yolanda held in the air and floated back towards Brainwave, is this the first time you been on wires?
That was so fun! I've been on wires in the first season when I was in Henry's father's hospital room. That's really fun when we get to do a little bit of action it's my favorite thing, I hope one day I can do all my stunts. But I have a stunt double and she does all the hard stuff. Like the throwing across the room, that looks so intense and it looks like it really hurts so I commend her for her ability to maneuver in a way so she doesn't get hurt. But, yes, it's really fun!
Stargirl.tv: Is it bittersweet to have Jake Austin Walker and Christopher Baker back for just one episode?
Oh my gosh, it was the best thing and honestly it was so hard to keep this from you guys because we are always posting these [behind the scenes] and all of these pictures have Jake, [he's] in so many of them and we have to be careful not post anything that he's in. We were told 'hey don't post anything not even that he's in Atlanta' because we didn't want to ruin any of that for our viewers. It was the best, we have so much fun on screen and off screen. It was the best to have him back.
Stargirl.tv: It's clear that you guys are so close off screen, does that closeness, that chemistry come through on screen in your opinion?
We all love the time we spend together. I can see disconnections when I watch certain movies, you can really tell. I definitely think it really helps our performance. We all lift each other up too, that scene where [Yolanda] tells her truth about Brainwave to the whole JSA, they are all so supportive, [they say things like] 'that speech you killed it, oh my god that was the one!'. They're so uplifting, it helps make our performance better if we are all pumping each other up, it does have an affect on you. People talking crap behind your back, that's going to have an affect on you, so I appreciate the relationship we all have with each other for sure. We all love each other so much!
Stargirl.tv: What’s your favorite or funniest memory filming season 2?
I really did enjoy filming the fighting sequences for episode 206. Our stunt coordinator actually directed it so he had us there during all hours and there was a lot of behind the scenes [work] that we didn't really get to see in season one with our director but [this time] we were able to be put in the room with our stunt people and we really got to see the work they put in. There's a whole new level of appreciation for them, I appreciated them in season one but this changed everything, I couldn't say more nice things about them, they are the fricking best!
Stargirl.tv: That whole episode was game-changing.
Wasn't it awesome?
Stargirl.tv: From what we've seen on social media, everyone agrees it just changed the show!
Yes! Honestly, it was the longest episode to shoot, but we knew it was going to look incredible.
Stargirl.tv: It really showed, it was 20 minutes almost of live-action superhero fighting on broadcast television, something almost never seen on other shows.
I know! I actually read the comments and they all say how the fighting is the best on our network [The CW], which we really appreciate it because our showrunner [Geoff Johns] is adamant about doing the fight sequence right, doing it of quality, so those comments mean everything to us, so we love that you guys love it.
Stargirl.tv: You guys are back for season three, with filming set to begin Oct 4th, are you heading back to Atlanta soon?
Yeah so today we actually just shipped our cars. I just met up with Cameron [Gellman] who plays Hourman, Meg [DeLacy] who plays Shiv, and Joy [Osmanski] who plays Tigress. We're all in LA but we're going to leave soon, October fourth is our first start date.
Stargirl.tv: @Retronormous asks: If you had to describe Wildcat with three foods, which would they be?
Ahh, let me think on this. Obviously the first thing that comes to mind is tacos because that's just a staple in my household. The next would be spaghetti, honestly these are just so random but they're relatable so it might not make sense to you. So spaghetti and meatballs, tacos, let's add something fiery. Hot Cheetos!
Our sincerest thanks to Yvette Monreal for taking time out of her very busy day to talk about Stargirl and Yolanda Montez. Be sure to follow her on twitter and instagram for all those great behind the scenes photos!
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