Zoe Saldaña reflects on unexpected blows 'Lioness' creator throws at her in season 3

Taylor Sheridan has a well-established reputation in the industry, and Zoe Saldaña just added her share to the mix.

For her role in Lioness, as Joe McNamara, the Avatar actress has only words of praise for the Paramount+ series maker, who has also been the creator of the hit Yellowstone.

Particularly, Saldaña raved about how Sheridan pushed her character into even darker territory in season three.

On the TV screen, her character is portrayed as tough-as-nails, as the actress explained, “I think that [Joe] is a woman that was conditioned very early on in her life to take on a great deal of responsibility, and as long as she convinces herself, with the woman that she stares at in the mirror, that she can do it all, she’s going to be okay."

However, despite the toughness, Saldaña said the plotline Sheridan created for the new season even put her character's strength to the test.

“What Taylor does so beautifully is show us, by challenging Joe with unexpected events in her personal life but also in her work life, that maybe she can’t [do it all]."

"And it makes you question whether or not that’s bad if you can’t do it all,” she noted.

Despite challenges, Saldaña said what makes her keep coming back to the show is Sheridan's way of exploring the delicate balance between personal and professional life in the series, in short, the series' emotional complexity.

“It’s a show that I love because it really sheds light on the sacrifices that people who live to serve their country have to go through in order for them to keep us safe,” she said.

Lioness's season three is running on Paramount+.