Taylor Sheridan’s TV shows often push actors to their limits, and Zoe Saldaña doesn’t seem eager to take on another one of her challenges besides “Lioness.” In the Paramount+ series, Saldaña plays pragmatic CIA agent Joe McNamara, who runs the top-secret Lioness program while participating in high-stakes missions in the field.
In an interview with People in 2026, Saldaña, who is also an executive producer of “Lioness,” explained why she’s not eager to become the new actress to join several shows created by Sheridan. “I think Joe McNamara and ‘Liones’ are all I can handle right now,” she said. “I’m number one on the call list. I’m first in, last out. I prepare months before anyone else can. So it’s already a lot of work for me.”
The physical demands of the role aren’t limited to the training needed to play a CIA agent. Sheridan’s preference for practical sets and effects on series like “Yellowstone,” “Landman” and “Lioness” also contributes to the demanding nature of the work. “I can’t imagine facing a world closer to that of Taylor Sheridan,” Saldaña added. “I have my point of view, and I come with all my heart, all my brain, all my brawn at all times. So no, I think I’m good here at ‘Lioness’.”
Zoe Saldaña Described How Lioness Season 3 Tested Her Even More
Even though “Lioness” required Zoe Saldaña to give it her all from the start, season 3 was a particularly difficult ordeal. According to the star, Sheridan asked him to beef up for the new storyline, in which Joe is kidnapped and tortured by unidentified agents before being rescued by his team in the penultimate episode. “I didn’t even know if I was going to make it,” Saldaña told Entertainment Weekly of her character’s agonizing season 3 arc.
Saldaña also faced skepticism over her ability to convincingly carry off Joe’s demanding fight scenes. But she is undeterred by those who underestimate the extensive physical preparation she brings to the role. “It’s very typical to think that a woman with a petite frame can’t be strong or capable,” she told USA Today. “I always faced this backlash – like people couldn’t believe Joe could do a lot of his scenes. And yet I was always this athletic actress, who was constantly training, even when I was pregnant with my kids.”
The fate of “Lioness” beyond season 3 remains up in the air as of this writing, with Paramount+ having yet to renew the series for a fourth season. Whatever happens next, Saldaña has made it clear that “Lioness” is the only Sheridan series she wants to take on at the moment.
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