Zoe Saldaña Rules Out More Taylor Sheridan Roles Beyond 'Lioness'
The 'Lioness' star cited the demanding nature of her lead role as the reason she cannot commit to additional projects within Sheridan's expansive television universe.
Zoe Saldaña, who stars as CIA operative Joe McNamara in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ drama "Lioness," stated that the role is all she can manage, effectively ruling out participation in other projects within the prolific creator's growing television empire.
"I think that Joe McNamara and 'Lioness' is all that I can handle at this time," Saldaña told People magazine. She described the role as intensely demanding, requiring her to be "first one in, last one out" and to begin preparations months before production starts.
"It’s already a lot of work for me," she explained. "I can’t imagine me taking on more of a Taylor Sheridan world."
Despite her reservations about expanding her workload within Sheridan's universe, Saldaña expressed gratitude for the trust she has earned. "The good takeaway that I’m grateful for is that he knows that I’m reliable, just like Joe is," she said. Saldaña believes Sheridan sees her as "honest, tough as nails and vocal and opinionated."
Saldaña’s comments come after "Lioness" concluded its third season on September 20. Paramount+ has not yet officially announced whether the series will be renewed for a fourth season. The third season saw Joe's family and marriage put under significant pressure as her character became a target, a narrative arc Saldaña called the most challenging of her career.
She also praised Sheridan for his writing, noting that he did not define her character by her gender. "We’ve seen various stories of men like Joe," Saldaña told Entertainment Weekly. "When you write something so incredible that it kind of defies gender and race, and it’s just about the merit of that human being, I feel like you give yourself the opportunity of a wider range of actors that can come in and sort of vie for that part."
Before the third season premiered, Saldaña admitted to having doubts about her ability to fulfill the role's demands. "It was very demanding, I’m not gonna lie," she said. "I didn’t even know if I was gonna be able to pull it off."