Only nine more days until the return of Stargirl fills our screens! We are so excited and we know you must be too! How is everyone going to adapt to the new normal? Will Sylvester insist on getting his staff back or will he share it? So many fun plotlines to predict, and we got a bit of help! Today, we had the very special privilege of sitting down with Yvette Monreal, our very own Wildcat, and ask her some questions about Stargirl's third season, "Frenemies", what it's like to film with another year of the pandemic over, and some fun behind the scenes facts! Check out our exclusive one on one chat with Yvette below:
Stargirl.TV: We’re back for season 3! At the end of season 2, Shiv reaches out to Yolanda about joining the JSA, what can you tell us about their relationship this season?
Hmm. I would say that Yolanda is not completely on board with the whole idea of having one of her longtime foes in this newfound family/group that she's coming to. So I would say there's a lot of back and forth between the two. Yolanda's trying to prevent a mistake from happening again. She's already stabbed her in the back, you know, Cindy stabbed Yolanda in the back. So she doesn't want that to happen to the JSA. She's very vocal about it.
Stargirl.TV: So that kind of leads into this season’s subtitle of “Frenemies”. Is that going to be explored in multiple facets?
Oh, yes, absolutely. You know, we have a lot of the characters from season two, like, literally living right next to us. And although we all came together to fight the Big Bad Wolf in season two, we're still on guard. You know, you can't just forget everything that's happened in the past. So there's definitely going to be an exploration on the whole title of it being “Frenemies”.
Stargirl.TV: Very cool. So Joel McHale has joined the cast for this season. Is there going to be some of that tension between Starman and Courtney's new JSA?
Oh, tension, I would say, I think we're all pretty much on edge with the whole situation. There's Starman who we all know the staff belongs to him. But you know, Courtney's our new Star Girl, and the staff also belongs to her. So we're very much aware of the situation. And there is a little bit of tension and they try to figure it out along the way.
Stargirl.TV: Yolanda had a really big arc in season one with her family. Is that going to be revisited at all in this season?
Yes. 100%. It's definitely going to be revisited.
Stargirl.TV: I don't want you to give anything away. But we saw her shamed by her parents, will that be revisited or resolved in some way? It's like Yolanda was the hero. She deserves to be rewarded in some way.
Yeah, 100% I think that too. Her family does make an appearance in season three. But they're not as supportive as I would maybe want them to be or the audience would want them to be.
Stargirl.TV: So on your Instagram, you noted that you listened to music before a big scene. What else do you do to prepare when you're going to do these big fight scenes?
Oh, when I want to do the fight scenes. Well, we have a lot of choreography that's done. The majority of the wire work and the combating is our stunt doubles. So we have to memorize the landings of everything and anything that can hurt us. We can't get hurt but obviously it's our stunt double doing everything. But yeah, so there's choreo, I usually like to film my stunt double. And I like to memorize everything just to get the landing right. And then yeah, I like to listen to music that'll pump me up. And the fights are easier because we have our amazing stunt doubles like Hera, she's so badass, and she makes me look so cool. So she does most of the work. Going off to the side and listening to music and getting into the zone would be a lot of the emotional scenes, but you won't be seeing that a bunch. She's a lot stronger this season. And a little judgmental. But you know, in her defense it’s to protect her group, you know her JSA family. So you'll see a lot more of that, you'll see her in a stronger character this season.
Stargirl.TV: Having now filmed three seasons, and essentially, the majority of it during a pandemic, have you adjusted to how everything's changed? What are some of the challenges you guys had to overcome? Even filming? You know, you can say post pandemic.
It’s really not that things got easier. I would say there's a drastic change from season two and season three. Season two, we were so nervous. We were so lucky first of all, to go back to work. I know a lot of production stopped. But there's a lot of isolation and separations. There's huge, huge plastic walls separating each cast member. And as time went by, like it's just mainly us not going out and not putting ourselves in jeopardy costing the whole crew and cast a filming day. We really had to take that responsibility on ourselves. We were all really good about that. We all went out with each other anyway, and we all tested all the time. We had to test three or four times a week. I was really good at staying home. I am a homebody naturally, if I'm not here in LA, I'm in Atlanta shooting. I like to stay home, I like to just watch movies and you know, just have my space. But yeah, I adjusted pretty easily to everything. It wasn't that crazy. I would say the craziest season was season two, because we were so nervous that we were going to get shut down. And we just wanted to bring good content. And then season three, we adjusted and we knew the do's and don'ts of everything. So it was just a lot easier for us to navigate.
Stargirl.TV: So you've totally adjusted to kind of the new normal?
Yeah, I would say so. I mean, I still do things. I'm not completely isolating myself or anything like that. I think it's healthy for your mental health to go out there, go to the beach, you know, go on runs, like I love all that physical activity. But I try to stay safe as much as I can, and I don't like a bunch of people around me or going to like these huge public bars or where there's a lot of people. I still try to maintain that space.
Stargirl.TV: Each episode tends to bring on a different director. What’s it like working for new directors every episode? Is there a benefit to that?
Honestly, they've done a really good job at choosing really amazing directors and directors who know what they're doing and you know, some of the directors were new. But there's a lot of them that directed in season two and season one. So it was fun to see familiar faces again, and you start to learn their working styles. Some people are very technical, while other people know we’re actors, and they know how to approach actors. And it was fun. I think I would get a little nervous in the beginning, especially if I didn't work with the director in the past. For example, in season two, there was a director that I hadn't worked with really, like maybe I was in an episode, but I didn't get to work with him and take direction. Whereas in season three, I was able to work with him. And I was a little nervous because, his name was Glenn,
Stargirl.TV: Oh, yeah. Winters, right?
He's amazing. He's so great. But I hadn't worked with him and had a chunky scene for him to direct for me. And I was able to do that this season. And I get a little nervous because I'm like, oh my gosh, what’s this guy's going to be like, and it was amazing. He spoke just the way I like to be spoken to. And, it's always a treat. It's always fun. It's like, Ooh, what's going to happen next.
Stargirl.TV: You guys are very close it looks like on social media, have friendships blossomed, because of the show? Are you guys a close-knit cast?
I would say that absolutely. I just saw Brec this past weekend. I think obviously, the more seasons we have, the more time we get to spend with each other. I definitely have grown close to Brec, and Meg and Angelica…Cameron, we got really close this season as well. And yeah, they're just good people. You know, we got so lucky to have to have each other and to actually like each other because I’ve heard from a bunch of people that that doesn't really always happen.
Stargirl.TV: Yes, from my experience, from what I've seen on other shows, it doesn't always happen, but it definitely shines through in your show. It's so fun to see it on social media and then to see it on the screen, how it plays out. It's just such a lot of joy, I guess, to see that kind of philosophy, friendship.
Oh, thank you. Yeah, we really enjoy each other. I appreciate that comment.
Our sincerest thanks to Yvette Monreal for taking time out of her day to speak with us about Stargirl season 3! If you don't already follow her, be sure to follow Yvette's Instagram, you'll get to see plenty of fun behind the scenes images! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and in the forum! Follow us on Twitter to get breaking news!
