Trans Yellowjackets star Nicole Maines receives major accolade ahead of season three
Yellowjackets star Nicole Maines is one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 stars. (Getty)
Yellowjackets star and history-making trans actress Nicole Maines has been included in Forbes’ coveted “30 Under 30” list.
The star became the first actress to play a trans superhero after starring as Nia Nal/Dreamer in The CW’s Supergirl in 2018, and now plays Lisa in Showtime’s hit queer thriller series, Yellowjackets.
Yesterday (3 December) it was revealed that she is one of 30 stars included in Forbes’ annual North American 30 Under 30 list in the Hollywood and Entertainment category, celebrating her commitment to “using her platform on screen and in her writing to make life better for LGBTQ+ youth”.
Away from her burgeoning TV career, Maines is known for writing the debut comic story for her Supergirl character, which was published in LGBTQ+ comic book DC Pride in 2021. She has since published several comics, plus Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story, a graphic novel telling Nia Nal/Dreamer’s origin story.
In October, she published her memoir, It Gets Better… Except When It Gets Worse: And Other Unsolicited Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me.
Before launching her acting career, Maines was already a fairly well-known name in the US, after she found herself at the centre of a landmark anti-discrimination case whereby she fought against her school district’s attempt to ban her from using the girls’ bathroom.
As a result, in 2014, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court became the first state court to rule it unlawful to ban trans students from the bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
Reacting to her name being included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Maines wrote on Instagram: “Ummm.. Holy forking shirtballs???? I’m so insanely thrilled to be selected for this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Hollywood & Entertainment category.”
She added that she was “honoured” to be included in the Hollywood and Entertainment category list alongside “talented mfers” including Saltburn’s Jacob Elordi, Lisa Frankenstein’s Kathryn Newton, and The Recruit’s Noah Centineo.
Forbes’ 30 Under 30 puts the spotlight on influential, change-making individuals across an array of different industries.
Other notable LGBTQ+ names included in this year’s lists include lesbian pop superstar Chappell Roan, Queer’s Omar Apollo, and trans model, Alex Consani.
Yellowjackets returns to Showtime on 14 February, with the show’s co-creator Bart Nickerson recently teasing a time jump across both timelines, and further exploration of Van and Taissa’s relationship (played by Lauren Ambrose/Liv Hewson and Tawny Cypress/Jasmin Savoy Brown) respectively.
“One of the things that we have always been trying to play with, but maybe this season even more so is that, as a result of a lot of their experiences, they’ve obviously put a lot of terrible stuff away, but they’re also trying to recapture some of the best of themselves from that time, too. Some of that will be explored through that relationship,” he said.
Nicole Maines will also reprise her role as Lisa in Yellowjackets season three.
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