\u201cLioness\u201d strives to bring as much realism as possible to the complex work of the CIA and military, and according to stars Jill Wagner and Laysla De Oliveira, they\u2019re succeeding.<\/p>\n
\u201cMajor, major hitters in the U.S. military have come up to me and my husband and said how much they love the show,\u201d Wagner told PauseRewind\u2019s Elizabeth Stanton. \u201cAnd it’s such an amazing honor because it’s called \u2018Lioness\u2019. It’s not called \u2018Lion.\u2019 It’s called \u2018Lioness,\u2019 and it’s told from a female perspective. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have amazing male actors and that are portraying some really powerhouse people. But the fact that they’re buying it means that we got it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wagner added that because of her work on the show and her husband David Lemanowicz\u2019s military background, she\u2019s been \u201cprivy\u201d to behind-the-scenes details viewers are still surprised by.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that there’s so much that we don’t know, even within this show,\u201d she said. \u201cI know my friends and family have watched it and they’re like, \u2018Does that really happen?\u2019 Yeah, it does. It does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wagner and De Oliveira star alongside Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana in the series, created by Taylor Sheridan.<\/p>\n
The show doesn\u2019t shy away from the complexities of the work the CIA and U.S. military engage in at home and abroad and the near impossible decisions to continue freedom and security for the world.<\/p>\n
De Oliveira noted the recurring theme is \u201cthat things aren’t so black and white.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the show enters its third season, the complications come home, impacting the personal lives of the agents, especially Saldana\u2019s Joe McNamara.<\/p>\n
Describing what audiences can expect, De Oliveira used key words to describe the show, including \u201craw, explosivesexy, hot, love, power.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while acting is nowhere near as dangerous or risky as being in the CIA or military, the job can still take a toll on actors\u2019 families when they have to film far from home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lock my husband in the apartment of wherever I stay, so it’s really not a problem for me,\u201d De Oliveira joked, but added, \u201cNo, whenever he can come visit, he does come visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cI don’t know if there is an easy way to do it. I think that’s probably one of the more challenging things figuring out life when you have a 14-hour day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wagner, a mom of two girls with Lemanowicz, agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you just have to find the pockets that you can bring them with right,\u201d she said. \u201cThe first season, I didn’t have my girls in Mallorca or Morocco, and that was super challenging. And understanding that that won’t work for me ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cI love when people are like, \u2018How do you have it all figured out?\u2019 I’m like,\u2019 \u2018I don’t!\u201d<\/p>\n
Wagner said Saldana, also a mom of two, felt the same challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s this forever changing thing, and you just have to be malleable, and you have to just work within your family resources, and try to make it work,\u201d Wagner said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLioness\u201d premieres Sunday, August 2 on Paramount+.<\/p>\n
Follow us on Instagram @WeArePauseRewind<\/a> for all your pop culture obsessions.<\/p>\n