Saldaña: Sheridan 'Knows How To Write Women'
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Zoe Saldaña praised "Lioness" creator Taylor Sheridan for knowing "how to write women," saying her character CIA agent Joe McNamara "could've been a man" but benefits from being written as a woman.
- "Lioness" Season 3 premieres Aug. 2 on Paramount+, with Saldaña and Nicole Kidman (as Kaitlyn) both starring and executive producing.
- Saldaña told People that Sheridan's writing "defies gender and race," arguing this approach opens roles to "a wider range of actors" who can vie for the part.
- Co-star Jill Wagner (Bobby) said Sheridan "puts a little bit of himself in each one of these characters," prompting Saldaña to joke: "Oh great, so he writes himself?"
- Season 3's plot finds Joe "walking the line between duty and home" amid hidden networks, foreign operatives, and personal betrayals, guided by Kidman's Kaitlyn and Michael Kelly's Westfield.
- Saldaña argued Sheridan's gender-neutral character writing qualifies him as "a really good writer," distinguishing him from male writers who struggle to write women.
Why it matters: Saldaña's endorsement carries weight because she's both the lead and an executive producer, meaning she's publicly defending her own creative investment, not just praising a boss. The Oscar-winning actress is using the Season 3 press push to argue Sheridan's characters transcend gender, positioning the show as prestige character drama ahead of the Aug. 2 Paramount+ debut.
