In another poignant series from the creator Taylor SheridanParamount+’s Special Operations: Lioness Starring a spy thriller Zoe Saldana As Marine, Jo McNamara, the leader of this covert CIA team of women. Based on the very real Lioness program, Sheridan’s series takes viewers into the Syrian desert where these agents work to wrangle the loyalties of women around terrorist leaders as well as the domestic lives of Lionesses. We see the turmoil and pressure the job puts on Joe, but we also see the men behind the task force.
In this interview with Collider’s Steve WeintraubSaldaña talks about what makes the lioness Very special, from the filming on location to the narrative magic that follows Sheridan’s show in a big way. The series star discusses her hopes for Season 2, what it’s like to morally disagree with your character and still serve the story, and which episodes were her favorites. Read the full transcript below to learn more about Saldaña’s upcoming film Emilia PerezWhat does she have to say? James Cameronof Avatar 3And how Avatar 4 And Avatar 5 “Goes crazy.”
Special Operations: Lioness But the stars Nicole Kidman, Michael Kelly, Lesla de Oliveiraand more. Special Operations: Lioness Season 1 is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Collider: You’ve done a lot of cool things in your career. If someone had never seen you before, what would you want them to see first and why?
ZOË SALDAÑA: Oh my God, I’ll say two things because I’m really proud of these decisions because I made these decisions. It was like an opportunity of a lifetime Avatar, which is like, they tell you that if you book a movie like this and you work for a director like that, you’re not just off to a good start, you’ve made it. It was my first moment where I felt really seen, so it was amazing and special. And I will say the lioness, because it was an experience where you had a very experienced writer-producer who saw me. And it’s not like, “Oh yeah, you can.” It’s more like, “No, I’m going to write this for you and I really want it to work, and I want you to be proud of it. I want you to produce it with me.” The experience was extremely collaborative as Taylor Sheridan allows you to collaborate. (Laughs) But it was extremely collaborative, and it was an amazing experience.
James Cameron’s next sequel is now coming in 2025.
Do you think there will be another season? the lioness? Have you heard anything?
Salda: Oh, God, I don’t know. I hope so. I really want to.
The problem with Taylor is that he’s involved in 72 different projects, so I don’t know what’s going to bubble up next.
SALDAÑA: But wasn’t Mr. Spelling also involved in the whole set of projects? And during that time, it was like he was in his golden age. Taylor has a lot of stuff, but all of her stuff sticks. People love his stuff.
And I think we need good writers. We need good filmmakers, good producers who come with a good team and work well. I think if you see Lawman: Bass Reeves And 1923And you see Yellowstone And you see the lioness, you go, “You know what? He’s throwing spaghetti and it’s sticking to the wall.” (Laughs)Did you get a favorite episode from the season?
Salda: I had two favorite episodes. I loved the fact that the McNamara family, which is Joe’s family, did whatever it took to hold each other. I love the fact that between Jo and her husband, there’s a real love story, and we’re not used to seeing that. We’re used to seeing people who live horrible lives, and they don’t eat well and they don’t live in a good environment, and they devote all their time to their jobs, and Taylor didn’t want that. So I would say the episodes that we did with our daughter, like episode 7, episode 4, I believe is the car accident, and I think episode 7, which is the episode before she leaves, for us. was extremely powerful.
What is it like to play someone who is saying or doing things you strongly disagree with? Is it fun or is it frustrating?
SALDAÑA: It’s contradictory. If I get personally involved, fine As I’m putting together a character and I realize that this character has a different set of core values than I do, there’s a bit of a struggle but it becomes fun.. It’s fun to safely navigate someone’s mind that’s so different from your own, you know?
No, absolutely. Was there anything that Joe did that you strongly disagreed with?
Salda: Oh god, righteous kills. I understand that the people who serve know a lot more than us, as us ordinary citizens ever will, and thanks to them we can safely take our children to school and, well, we can go to the mall. And we can be fine. We can do a lot of things that are safe because these guys are out there doing the real work, but I’m like Cruz.. I don’t know if I have the heart, brains, chutzpah, whatever you call it. I don’t know if I would have.
How long did it actually take you to create the series? Was it really one of those long shots?
Salda: It took about six months because we started in September and then we did it in four different countries. Obviously, you have to take a break for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and I had a world tour Avatar To do at that time, and I was also preaching from the beginning. I did a lot of that in the fall, but then we finished in March. So yes, it’s been six months.
I think one of the reasons why people respond to Taylor’s show is that it’s not a sound studio show. They are on location and often feel like movies.
Salda: Yes. It’s good when you’re a producer, your writer was an actor first. He has a level of compassion. He identifies what actors the filmmakers need to give a really good performance.
Mind you, I suck for green screen too. I have a very large imagination. Give me a chair and a close-up and I’ll be fine for a while, but nothing from places. And yes, it is difficult. I’m a full-time mom, as well. I am a traveling circus. My children are always with me. So I come home after 14 hours on set, then I do real work at home, and nothing beats that. I’ll still travel and stay in places if it means that what we’re delivering to our fans and our audience is something that lingers after they finish the episode, that the experience becomes an experiential material that they consume. are being It’s amazing to me.I want to ask you about a different project, and that’s not it Avatar. I was reading the synopsis Emilia PerezAnd that was the summary not That’s what I was expecting. Did that attract you to this project, and what can you say about it?
Salda: I hope you understand that I have a very specific view on the projects I choose and for which I choose, what I like and what I watch in my free time. Jacques Audiard is a filmmaker I’ve watched since the beginning, and France has always been a country whose cinema excels, in my opinion, from the most cavalier movies about relationships to big dramas. And The fact that Jacques came up with the concept from a short story and decided to make it into an opera, and to do it in a language that was not his own, knowing that his audience would be very small, means that for him was very important and cared little about what other people thought. And I think everything about it made me feel so privileged, so honored that he wanted me to play Rita. Emilia Perez. I also got to sing and speak in my mother tongue. I got to work with amazing independent filmmakers. Everything about Emilia PerezI wanted it so bad, and I worked so hard for it. I literally wrapped the lioness in Morocco, and a week later I was recording music in a studio in Paris Emilia, and I am most happy. So, I am really looking forward to watch the movie and share it with everyone.
I’ll sneak into a two-parter. How many songs do you sing in a movie, and two, I talked to Sam Worthington and Jon Landau and James Cameron, and they all teased me. Avatar 3 And how Avatar 4 Goes crazy. What can you tease about the upcoming films?
SALDAÑA: It’s going to be amazing. Avatar 3It’s going to be amazing, and Avatar 4 And 5, it just becomes crazy. That is true. It really does. It has blown our minds. This is his legacy project. We all thought it was TitanicAnd it turns out that Avatar It has a legacy, and for us to be a part of something so groundbreaking and trailblazing, it feels like it’s a legacy for us as well.. So I’m excited to go back. We go back to work next week, so I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone.
Can you really answer how many songs you sing? Emilia Perez?
Salda: I probably sing about six or seven or eight songs.
yeah This is a big deal.
Salda: And I also dance, so I go back to my dance roots. I worked with an amazing choreographer, Damien Jellet, and I worked with amazing musicians who put everything together, and that was Jacques Audiard and a great production company. Everything about Emilia Perez There was just one hell of a roller coaster that I can’t wait to share.
I really can’t wait to see it. I have a feeling it might be a project we could see at the Toronto Film Festival or Cannes.
Salda: I would love that. I definitely think it’s a project meant for the festival circuit, for sure.
Special Operations: Lioness Season 1 is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Watch at Paramount
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