Why Lioness Star Zoe Saldaña May Not Join Another Taylor Sheridan Series

Zoe Saldaña has become a key figure in Taylor Sheridan’s television universe, but fans should not expect to see her appear in Landman, The Madison, or another Sheridan series anytime soon. For now, Lioness is demanding nearly all of the Oscar winner’s professional energy. “I think that Joe McNamara and Lioness is all that I can handle at this time,” Saldaña told People in September 2026. Sheridan created the role of Joe specifically with Saldaña in mind—an exciting opportunity, but one that also brings significant responsibility.

Her commitment to the role begins long before cameras start rolling. Saldaña said she starts preparing months ahead of her castmates, making the job an especially demanding undertaking. Once production begins, her schedule remains relentless: “I’m number one on the call sheet. I am first one in, last one out.” That level of dedication is visible in her performance, though it also makes her reluctance to take on another Taylor Sheridan project entirely understandable. “I come with all heart, all brains, all muscle at all times,” she said.

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The physical training alone has added to the challenge. The Avatar star revealed during an August 2026 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that she had to build even more muscle for Season 3. Saldaña is also closely involved in shaping Joe’s story, regularly sharing her thoughts with Sheridan. She has even questioned some of the character’s complicated romantic choices, telling Entertainment Weekly in September 2026, “Taylor and I would have these little micro-disagreements about it.”

Lioness may require an enormous amount from Saldaña, but the actor has made clear that she values the challenge. “I like being challenged. I really do,” she told People in August 2026. For Saldaña, the series also presented a personal obstacle: she has dyslexia, and English is not her first language. In a July 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she revealed that she initially declined the role because Sheridan’s scripts contained such demanding monologues. “Taylor has incredible writing and his monologues are quite powerful. Up until this project I didn’t believe that I can do that. I’m dyslexic, and my first language is not English, so it takes me a little longer to assimilate English grammar and English cadences,” she explained. Ultimately, she chose to take on the challenge.

The following year, Saldaña told People that confronting both her dyslexia and anxiety helped motivate her decision to join the Taylor Sheridan drama. At the same time, she acknowledged that the role demanded “a lot more hours of preparation.” Sheridan is known for expecting a great deal from his actors, and Saldaña’s determination to give Joe McNamara a fully realized performance appears to have made them an effective creative team. Even so, it is easy to understand why she is not looking to add another demanding Sheridan production to her schedule—especially while Lioness continues to give audiences such a richly developed character.