Key Takeaways
- On the set of season three of Paramount+ thriller Lioness, Zoe Saldaña says she and Nicole Kidman “tag team” tracking down creator Taylor Sheridan whenever dense, CIA-heavy scenes don’t make sense and need to be reworked.
- Saldaña and Kidman describe their collaboration as a “true joy,” trading praise for each other’s generosity and support on and off camera as they return alongside Michael Kelly, Morgan Freeman, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, and Laysla De Oliveira.
- Saldaña credits Sheridan as an “extremely collaborative” writer of layered, gender-fluid characters and has been open about leaning on research help and pushing through dyslexia and anxiety to handle his demanding dialogue for the show’s bigger, more “epic” third season.
Just days after Lioness returned for its third season, Zoe Saldaña is revealing what really happens when the cameras stop rolling—and it has less to do with explosions than tracking down Taylor Sheridan. According to the Oscar winner, she and Nicole Kidman have developed a routine of "tag-teaming" the series creator whenever one of the show's notoriously dense scenes needs a closer look.
Speaking with People, Saldaña said the pair have fallen into a rhythm after three seasons together. They catch up for a few minutes each morning before heading to hair and makeup, then quickly shift into work mode. "We tag team finding out where Taylor is and seeing if he's going to call us back because, when we need him, it's always having to do with the work," she said, explaining that they seek Sheridan out whenever a scene "doesn't feel like it's making any sense."
The behind-the-scenes revelation comes at a busy moment for the Paramount+ thriller. Lioness officially premiered its third season on August 2 after wrapping a five-month production in North Texas earlier this year.
The new episodes pick up with Joe McNamara, Saldaña's battle-tested CIA operative, facing hidden networks, foreign operatives and betrayals that blur the line between her job and her personal life.
Nicole Kidman returns as Kaitlyn Meade alongside Michael Kelly, Morgan Freeman, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, Laysla De Oliveira and the rest of the ensemble.
Saldaña said working opposite Kidman has become one of the highlights of the series. "I respect her so much," she said. "Nicole... I admire her. She's an incredibly talented woman, but what she is first and foremost, what I love the most, is she's a mother. She's a daughter. She's a sister. She's a friend."
She added that Kidman brings "so much love and unconditional support" to every role she plays, calling their collaboration "true joy." Kidman returned the compliment, describing Saldaña as "so fun," "so generous," and "a girl's girl."
The comments also build on what Saldaña and others have been saying about Lioness in recent months. Ahead of the Season 3 premiere, Saldaña praised Sheridan for writing layered, "gender-fluid" characters that could be played by anyone and described him as an "extremely collaborative" filmmaker who constantly pushes actors to elevate their performances.
Earlier this summer, her husband, filmmaker Marco Perego, also called Saldaña "one of the best actors of her generation," crediting her commitment to honesty and emotional truth as an inspiration in his own work.
Cast members James Jordan and Jill Wagner similarly teased Season 3 as bigger in scope, with Wagner memorably calling the new installment "epic" after filming wrapped.
That ambition extends to the scripts themselves. Kidman previously revealed that she relies on researchers to help decode the show's CIA terminology before filming, while Saldaña has spoken openly about overcoming dyslexia and anxiety to master Sheridan's dialogue.
"When he knows that you care... he meets you where you're at," Saldaña said of Sheridan. "He's very collaborative."
