Taylor Sheridan has built one of television’s busiest empires, and apparently his sets move with the same intensity as his shows. Zoe Saldaña says the writer and producer expects actors to meet the standard he sets, even when the material is dense, physical or packed with enough government terminology to make the average viewer reach for Google. According to her, he leaves only two options for actors on set, and it sounds pretty intense.
Saldaña discussed working with the Yellowstone creator during an interview with People while promoting the release of Lioness's third season on the 2026 TV schedule. She praised Sheridan’s intelligence and passion for acting, but she also made it clear that his high expectations leave performers with a fairly simple decision. She explained:
So working with him is a challenge in the sense that he does raise the bar. And you have one of two choices. You either accept the challenge and make sure that you don’t fuck up... or you quit. And I like being challenged. I really do.
That sounds intimidating, though it does not appear to mean Sheridan shuts down questions or expects actors to blindly follow every word on the page. The Oscar-winning actress also described him as highly collaborative when performers have done their homework and can explain what they need from a scene.
That preparation is especially important on Lioness. Sheridan’s scripts contain military language, CIA terminology and fast-moving briefings that require the cast to understand exactly what they are saying. The Guardians of the Galaxy alum and her co-star Nicole Kidman told the outlet that they sometimes “tag team” their efforts to find Sheridan between scenes when something is not clicking. Kidman has even worked with researchers to make sure the dialogue sounds natural rather than memorized.
The Avatar star said working with the in-demand showrunner also revealed how deeply he cares about actors and the craft itself. She believes acting may be his first love within the arts, which makes sense given his own years as a performer before Sicario, Hell or High Water and Yellowstone and its many spin-offs established him as a major writer.
His approach seems to involve demanding a lot while remaining available when the cast needs help getting there. That is probably why Saldaña can describe the experience as difficult without sounding unhappy about it.
The Star Trek actress's comments also carry extra weight because she nearly passed on Lioness altogether. The role of CIA operative Joe McNamara was written specifically for her, but she recently revealed that she spent roughly a year saying no before finally accepting the offer. She said she initially doubted whether she could handle the part, then decided that Sheridan’s confidence in her should count for something.
Three seasons later, she leads the A-list cast alongside Kidman, Michael Kelly and Morgan Freeman. The role has forced her to work through anxiety and dyslexia while mastering difficult dialogue and the physical demands of playing a CIA officer whose job never seems to allow a quiet week.
Season 3 places Joe under even more pressure as the war she manages overseas reaches into her personal life. Sheridan also appears on screen this season, giving Saldaña the unusual experience of working opposite the man who created her character and wrote the scene. That might make some actors nervous, but the Colombiana lead seems energized by it.
Her description of Sheridan’s sets is blunt, but so is the choice she says every actor faces. Meet the challenge or walk away. Saldaña chose the challenge, and after three seasons of Lioness, she clearly has no plans to quit.
You can catch new episodes of Lioness Season 3 on Sundays with a Paramount+ subscription.
