Zoe Saldaña Explains Why 'Lioness' Is All the Taylor Sheridan She Can Handle Right Now

After three demanding seasons leading Taylor Sheridan's 'Lioness,' Zoe Saldaña is opening up about why another one of his shows isn't in the cards for her anytime soon.

Zoe Saldaña has her hands full, and the thought of taking on another Taylor Sheridan show is out of the question.

After three seasons leading Sheridan’s “Lioness” as Joe McNamara, the leader of the CIA’s covert Lioness program, Saldaña told People, "I think that Joe McNamara and Lioness is all that I can handle at this time.”

Zoe Saldaña at the premiere of "Lioness" season 3 on July 29, 2026 in New York | Source: Getty Images

The actress, who is also an executive producer on the show, opened up about her demanding role and why another show isn’t possible for her. "I'm number one on the call sheet. I am first one in, last one out," she said. "I am prepping months before anybody ever is able to prep. So it's already a lot of work for me. I can't imagine me taking on more of a Taylor Sheridan world."

Saldaña knows her experience in the show and what Sheridan has seen her do has clearly made an impression on the popular series creator. "The good takeaway that I'm grateful for is that he knows that I'm reliable, just like Joe is," she said, adding that he also knows her to be "honest," "tough as nails," and "vocal and opinionated."

Unlike Saldaña, her Lioness co-star Michael Kelly, who plays CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield, has room to take on another Sheridan show. In fact, he has recently joined the cast of “Landman” for its third season.

Reacting to the news, Saldaña joked that Kelly should get his priorities straight. “Michael can’t be going there and doing more work,” she said. “If we do come back for season 4, we have him first.”

Michael Kelly, Nicole Kidman, Génesis Rodríguez, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana at the Los Angeles premiere of "Lioness" season 2 on October 23, 2024 | Source: Getty Images

There has been no news as to whether “Lioness” will be returning for a fourth season, with a renewal announcement yet to happen.

The third season saw Saldana’s character being the victim this time after she was kidnapped and tortured by people under the payroll of Aaliyah Amrohi, a character from the first season who returned in the third season’s finale, revealed as the mastermind seeking revenge for her father’s death.

"Joe was the victim," Saldaña said of the twist. "She was the one that was extracted, and she was the one that had to get herself out. In a way, I almost feel like Joe was the Lioness in season 3."

Saldana had previously spoken highly of Sheridan for writing characters not confined by gender. “I have a great deal of respect for men that really know how to write women,” she said, adding, “I’m happy to say that, after playing one of his female characters for three seasons, I’m incredibly honored that he wrote Joe as a woman.”

As to where her character will be in the fourth season, she has no idea. But she has said in the past, “I like being challenged.”