It’s well known that Taylor Sheridan writes roles for his A-list leads, and many of them have praised his writing. The cast of Lioness has done that too, with Zoe Saldaña saying Sheridan “does raise the bar.” However, that presents a challenge for these actors too. So, how do they get through it? Well, Saldaña and her co-star Nicole Kidman love to send the producer voice notes.
I’d love to know how Sheridan reacts when he gets a notification that features an audio file and the name “Zoe Saldaña” or “Nicole Kidman.” That’s because it sounds like these messages from the actresses who play Joe and Kaitlyn are pretty important. During Paramount+’s The Icons of Taylor Sheridan’s Universe Event, the Avatar actress said (via People):
We leave these messages, these voice messages sometimes. In our makeup trailer, we’ll visit each other. I’m like, ‘Did you figure that out? I didn’t, either.’
Lioness follows CIA operatives and features a lot of military strategy and jargon. That can’t be easy to learn or understand. So, these woman will call their boss when they have questions. And if the show’s creator doesn’t pick up, they’ll message again, as Saldaña explained:
'Hi, Taylor. For the 20th time, sending you a text.' And then on our way to set, I’m like, ‘Call us. We need you.’ And then he’ll call us.
Well, I’m happy to know he always calls back. I get why he’s hard to get a hold of, though. While Taylor Sheridan isn’t as involved in the Yellowstone universe as he once was, he is still leading Paramount+ projects like Lioness and Landman (to name a few). So, he has multiple crews and casts to collaborate with; however, it seems they all like how he runs things.
Kidman went on to compliment how “relevant” Lioness is, but also explained that keeping up with everything that goes on in it is difficult. Specifically, she said, “it’s really hard to follow.” So, I understand why they have to contact Sheridan every now and again to ask him questions.
These calls really work, though. Not only do they help the women get the answers they need to plot questions, but Sheridan also helps with their performances. Kidman called him “an incredible acting coach,” and explained why her conversations with him prove that:
You can have one call with him, and he’ll give you four words of how to play the scene.
All of this is important because Kidman said they have to “understand every single thing [they’re] saying.” So, it makes sense why they’re consistently sending their boss voice memos to get his takes and advice on what they’re working on.
Now, to see what they’ve been working on, you can stream new episodes of Lioness’s third season as they air on the 2026 TV schedule every Sunday with a Paramount+ subscription.
