Zoe Saldaña Was ‘Instantly Hooked’ by Taylor Sheridan’s Special Ops: Lioness

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Zoe Saldaña Was ‘Instantly Hooked’ by Taylor Sheridan’s Special Ops: Lioness

Special Ops: Lioness star Zoe Saldaña has spoken about how she came to be in Taylor Sheridan‘s latest series and how she was “instantly hooked” by the pilot.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Saldaña spoke about being sent the Special Ops: Lioness pilot by Sheridan during the Covid-19 pandemic. The actress and executive producer revealed that she initially turned the role down, though later reconsidered and joined the production.

“Taylor Sheridan approached me in 2020, when we were halfway into the pandemic,” Saldaña explained. “He sent me the pilot, and I couldn’t put it down. I hadn’t read something as intense and as good in a while. So I was instantly hooked. And he told me, ‘If you respond well to this and you want to become attached, I want to write this for you. I want to write this with you in mind to play Joe.’

“And that came at a time in my life where I just wasn’t prepared to hear it. I didn’t really have that much faith in myself. I also felt a little stuck, and a lot of us can relate to that. So I said, ‘No, thank you.’ But a year later, I finished a project for Netflix, I was in Italy and my husband said to me, ‘Just call and see where he’s at with the project.’ So I did, and Taylor still hadn’t cast it. They were still waiting for me, and then I decided to take that leap. I was like, ‘Well, what if I have it in me to be a part of a Taylor Sheridan show and do a good job?'”

What is Special Ops: Lioness about?

“Based on a real-life CIA program, the series follows Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within,” reads the series’ logline. “Saldaña will play Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.”

Taylor Sheridan, Zoe Saldaña, and Nicole Kidman will executive produce Special Ops: Lioness, along with Bob Yari, Jill Wagner, David Hutkin, Geyer Kosinski, and David Glasser. The series emanates from 101 Studios, MTV Entertainment Studios, and Blossom Films. The first two episodes of the series are now available on Paramount+.