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Get ready for an intense and thrilling ride with Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman’s upcoming project, Special Ops: Lioness! In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Zoe revealed how overwhelmed she felt when Taylor Sheridan approached her for the espionage thriller about a CIA program that trains and dispatches women worldwide as undercover operatives.
“He sent me a pilot he wanted me to read, and if I responded well to it, he really wanted to continue writing this character around me,” Saldaña says. “When you get a call from someone like Taylor Sheridan…. You work really hard, expecting those calls. And when you get those calls, you don’t believe them.”
Even though she’s starred in some of the biggest blockbusters in modern times, such as Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Avengers movies, imposter syndrome always finds its way to get at Saldaña. “I’m known for being the queen of sabotaging myself,” she told the publication.
“We were in the middle of the pandemic. The thought of me committing to a multi-seasonal show was just daunting,” Saldaña says. “I told him that I just wasn’t ready. I was scared shitless, in other words. I was just like, ‘I’m going to fail. I just do science fiction. I don’t do this.’”
Although she was nervous, she knew it was an ample opportunity. “It was Taylor Sheridan. Nicole Kidman was already attached to produce, and she was going to play a part in it as well. So obviously, that was a dream for me,” she added.
In Special Ops: Lioness, Saldaña plays the role of Joe, the station chief of the program who once served undercover herself and now oversees the next generation of operatives. But her duties come at a cost, often leaving her consumed and struggling to balance her family life.
The character description was also a big reason why she accepted the offer. And as reported by the outlet, her husband pushed her to go after it! “He was like, ‘Just do it. You haven’t been able to let go of this pilot. You are a fan of Taylor’s work. Just f*cking call him!’ So I texted him, and he called me back immediately,” says Saldaña, who stars and executive produces the film. “Once he started sending Nicole and I episode after episode, we just couldn’t believe that we were going to be a part of something this great. So we shot it. We did it.”
Special Ops: Lioness is set to debut on Paramount+ this summer with a fantastic cast that includes Laysla De Oliveira. It’s the newest addition to the Sheridan-verse and promises to be a drama filled with fearless women who will do whatever it takes to protect others, even if it means being deadly. Get ready for an action-packed adventure with this must-see project!
“There’s power in having a female identity,” Kidman says. “They have access in a different way than a lot of men who are working undercover do. It’s a secretive world. They put their country before themselves by remaining anonymous. They have to remain anonymous to preserve their program.”