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Ryan Green\/Paramount+<\/p>\n
Taylor Sheridan’s TV shows<\/a> often push actors to their limits, and Zoe Salda\u00f1a doesn’t appear eager to take on another of his challenges in addition to “Lioness.” On the Paramount+ series, Salda\u00f1a stars as no-nonsense CIA operative Joe McNamara,\u00a0who runs the top-secret Lioness program while taking part in high-stakes missions on the ground.<\/p>\n In a 2026 interview with People<\/a>, Salda\u00f1a, who also serves as an executive producer on “Lioness,” explained why she isn’t eager to become the newest actor to join multiple Sheridan-created shows<\/a>. “I think that Joe McNamara and ‘Lioness’ is all that I can handle at this time,” she said. “I’m number one on the call sheet. I am first one in, last one out. I am prepping months before anybody ever is able to prep. So it’s already a lot of work for me.”<\/p>\n The role’s physical demands aren’t limited to the training that goes into portraying a CIA operative. Sheridan’s preference for practical sets and effects on shows like\u00a0“Yellowstone,” “Landman,” and “Lioness” also contributes to the demanding nature of the work. “I can’t imagine me taking on more of a Taylor Sheridan world,” Salda\u00f1a added.\u00a0“I have my views, and I come with all heart, all brains, all muscle at all times. So, no, I think I’m good here at ‘Lioness.'”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Zoe Salda\u00f1a described how Lioness Season 3 tested her even more<\/p>\n
Ryan Green\/Paramount+<\/p>\n Although “Lioness” required Zoe Salda\u00f1a to give her all from the beginning, Season 3 was an especially tough test.\u00a0According to the star, Sheridan asked her to bulk up\u00a0for the new storyline, in which Joe gets\u00a0abducted and tortured by unidentified agents before being rescued by her team in the penultimate episode.\u00a0“I didn’t even know if I was gonna be able to pull it off,”\u00a0Salda\u00f1a shared with\u00a0Entertainment Weekly<\/a> regarding her character’s agonizing Season 3 arc.\u00a0<\/p>\n Salda\u00f1a has also faced skepticism\u00a0over whether she could convincingly pull off Joe’s demanding combat scenes. But she isn’t fazed by those who underestimate the extensive physical preparation she brings to the role.\u00a0“It’s very typical to think that a woman with a petite frame cannot be strong or capable,” she told USA Today<\/a>. “I’ve always faced this backlash \u2014 like people cannot believe Joe could do many of her scenes. And yet I’ve always been this athletic actress, constantly training, even when I was pregnant with my children.”<\/p>\n
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