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Paramount+When Taylor Sheridan sent her the script to the pilot episode of Lioness six years ago, Zoe Saldaña couldn’t put it down.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe gripping spy thriller, now streaming its third season on Paramount+, dramatizes a real-life government program that follows CIA agents Joe McNamara and Kaitlyn Meade (played by Saldaña and Nicole Kidman) as they manage female operatives who go undercover to befriend the wives and lovers of suspected terrorists.“The first 10 minutes of it when Joe loses the lioness she has embedded, and she has to go back and debrief her boss, who was the one who designed this whole operation. I met these two characters and I went, ‘Who are these women?’” Saldaña, 48, says, seated alongside Kidman during a video call from New York City.Saldaña was hooked, but she was also “petrified.” So after she got through an early draft of Sheridan’s gritty story, she went off and made From Scratch, a romantic drama for Netflix.“For a year, I didn’t touch it. I thought the project would go away,” she says. But Saldaña couldn’t shake the character of Joe or the world of Lioness.“I sent Taylor a text and I asked if he ever cast anyone else in the role … and he said, ‘We’re waiting on you. Whenever you say you’re ready, we’re going to get the whole thing rolling.’”Saldaña asked if Kidman was still involved. Glancing at her castmate, she continues, “I said to him, ‘If she’s in, I’m in.’ Four months later we were shooting it.”For Kidman, she was instantly drawn into the world crafted by Sheridan’s military-and intelligence-centred story.“When Taylor was first telling me about it, I remember thinking, ‘Wow.’ I had never seen something like this before,” Kidman, 59, says. The two aren’t just close collaborators on the series. They’ll happily trade streaming recommendations.When Kidman mentions that she recently binged the Prime Video show Off Campus, Saldaña asks if it’s a guilty pleasure.“What is Off Campus ?” she says puzzlingly. “I have three boys and the moment I sit down and turn something on, they take the remote out of my hand, ‘Let’s watch an Adam Sandler movie!’” she continues with a grin. “I have no privacy. But I’m going to watch Off Campus — I promise.”The Oscar winners aren’t just stars; they’re also executive producers on the series.During the first two seasons, Joe recruited two lionesses to go undercover — Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) and Josie (Genesis Rodriguez). Elizaveta Neretin stars as season 3’s new lioness.Saldaña doesn’t offer up much about the direction the eight-episode season is heading in, but the première showed that no one on the team is safe.“Their affairs take them into international waters. But since season 2, it has been established that a lot (of their missions) has to do with things happening back at home. That raises a level of danger because it brings it all close to their personal lives,” Saldaña teases.The characters will be forced to ask themselves one question, Saldaña says: “How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice for your country?”One of television’s most prolific writers, Sheridan regularly has to update the actresses on the CIA terminology he uses.“He’s constantly having to educate us as he’s writing it … It’s very hard to unravel,” Kidman says.Along with Saldaña, she, Michael Kelly and Morgan Freeman go on the internet to try to figure out military acronyms and what certain departments do.But Kidman likes that Sheridan gives audiences — and his stars — a chance to figure things out.“Finding out why (our characters are) doing things and what their endgame is always surprises me,” she says. “And Taylor allows the audience to be intelligent. He doesn’t speak down. He raises the bar and says, ‘No, I know the audience out there is smart enough to follow this.’”After co-creating the modern-day Western series Yellowstone in 2018, Sheridan has built one of television’s biggest empires with hit series including Landman, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown and the Yellowstone spinoffs 1883 and 1923 under his belt.Sheridan is a constant presence on the set. In addition to writing and producing, he plays tactical officer Cody Spears on the series.His productivity makes Saldaña wonder if he ever finds time to sleep. “I know he works out,” she jokes.His hands-on approach is what has led to him to becoming one of the most powerful forces in television, Kidman says.“Taylor creates worlds … worlds that you want to exist in and get to know,” she explains. “Lioness is a world. Landman is a world. That is one of the keys to his success. But he’s also just a great writer. He has a willingness to take on difficult subjects and just jump straight off a cliff.”New episodes of Lioness season 3 stream Sundays on Paramount+.mdaniell@postmedia.com Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.