Lioness actress Jill Wagner is sharing new insight into life on set with series creator Taylor Sheridan, including one demanding scene that pushed her well outside her comfort zone.
The Paramount+ thriller, led by Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana, is now in its third season. Wagner, who portrays Bobby, said the latest chapter has not been especially “physically draining” for her, but described the new episodes as “a bit more cerebral.”
In an interview with People alongside costar Laysla De Oliveira, who plays Cruz, the 47-year-old revealed that Sheridan once asked her to rework a scene using her non-dominant hand — with almost no warning.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Sheridan’s representatives for comment.
“There was one day that Laysla and I were trying to get this entrance into the house,” Wagner recalled. “Cruz and Bobby have to come in and clear the room, and we were having difficulties with some of the angles.”
‘Ten minutes before we roll, he comes in and says, “No, I think you should switch arms. Transition your weapon to your left arm.”’ Wagner recalls. ‘And I was just like, “Hmm … OK. Help me.”’
Jill Wagner says she once had to relearn a Lioness scene using her non-dominant hand with 10 minutes’ notice
Under Taylor Sheridan’s direction, Wagner had to redo the season three sequence with her left hand
The actress told the publication that although the task was tough, it turned out to be a success.
‘Ultimately, we worked it out, and it’s probably going to be one of my favorite moments,’ Wagner continued.
De Oliveira also chimed in about working with Sheridan and what it takes.
Backing up Wagner, she agreed that cast members can often leave feeling rather accomplished after getting through a day on set with Sheridan.
‘That’s the coolest thing about working with Taylor. He can change things on the spot,’ De Oliveira added. ‘You have to have your head on a swivel and be able to do that.
‘Once you go through that experience, you really leave the set thinking, “Wow, I can do anything.”’
De Oliveira went on that Sheridan doesn’t amend the script last-minute, but flexibility is required with his direction.
She suggested that getting through such an exercise can help on future jobs too.
Wagner plays Bobby on the show but says nothing was ‘physically draining for me,’ this season is ‘a bit more cerebral’
‘If you can pick that up, then you go onto another set and think, “Well, this one time I did everything with my left hand even though I’m right-handed.” So it’s a great opportunity for us,’ De Oliveira said.
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Wagner added: ‘He forces you to run into the fire. He really does.’
It comes three years after reports Sheridan, who is also behind the popular show Yellowstone, developed a ‘God complex’ and clashed with Oscar winner Kevin Costner over the direction of his character.
A source with detailed knowledge about the show told DailyMail.com in 2023: ‘Certain people in charge of the production developed a God complex.’
The insider also alleged that Costner was left frustrated at how his concerns over the direction the series was taking were dismissed by Sheridan – saying that the actor, who also serves as an executive producer on Yellowstone – was told to ‘stick to acting’ when he raised questions about the future of the show.
‘Kevin will forever be proud of and grateful for Yellowstone and the cast is like family to him,’ the source said of Costner, who recently nabbed a Golden Globe Award for best actor for his portrayal of John Dutton.
‘He just felt like Yellowstone is headed in a direction that was not in line with their initial vision and he was met with criticism, including that he should just stick to acting.’
Last month it was revealed Sheridan is being sued by Lauren J Salkin, a television writer who has claimed he stole her idea, turning it into his hit show Yellowstone.
Laysla De Oliveira chimed in: ‘That’s the coolest thing about working with Taylor. He can change things on the spot’
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Salkin filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Sheridan, 56, in the US District Court for the Central District of California.
In the complaint, Sheridan, his management company Elevate Entertainment, Paramount and NBCUniversal are all named defendants, alongside several others.
Salkin alleges that she presented a pilot, concept, storylines, and pitch deck for a show called Sovereign Nation to Sheridan’s representatives at Elevate Entertainment in late 2016 and early 2017.
Elsewhere in the complaint, obtained and reviewed by the Daily Mail, she describes the show as a ‘dramatic television series centered on tribal governance, casino-driven economic power, and a modern war over land and development.’
Salkin’s lead attorney, Paul B Lackey, said in a statement to the Daily Mail: ‘This is a classic David versus Goliath situation. She spent years putting together the specific and multi-layered framework for a story that has become the biggest streaming success of all time. She has watched the vast commercial success of this story that was stolen from her and decided that enough was enough. We will do everything in our power to get her justice.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Sheridan, Elevate Entertainment, NBCUniversal, and Paramount for comment.
Lioness season three dropped on Paramount+ in August, and the finale hits the streaming platform on September 20.