Taylor Sheridan has built a television empire, with one of his most recent hits being “Lioness,” which features Zoe Saldana stars Recently, after the premiere of the third season of the show, the Marvel actress told why she would not appear in another one of Sheridan’s shows.
Zoe Saldaña says she can only handle one Taylor Sheridan show
Saldaña appears in “Lioness” as Joe McNamara, due in 2023 on Paramount +. The final season arrived in August 2026 and began its finale on September 20. Recently, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” actress spoke with PEOPLE and was asked if she would consider crossing over Sheridan’s other projects.
She replied, “I think Joe McNamara and Lioness are all I can handle at the moment. The 48-year-old explained her reasoning, saying that the series is taking up a lot of her time, both before and during filming.
According to her, “I’m number one on the phone page. I’m the first one in, the last one out. I prepare months before anyone can prepare. So it’s already a big job for me.” Saldaña said, “I can’t imagine taking more of Taylor Sheridan’s world.
The Marvel actress also discussed her working relationship with Taylor Sheridan
Saldaña continued her PEOPLE interview by talking about her professional relationship with the “Lioness” creator, saying Sheridan knows he can trust her as an actress.
She said, “The good takeaway I’m grateful for is that he knows I’m trustworthy, just like Joe is.” From there, she shared that through her work on “Lioness,” Sheridan is also known to be “tough as nails” and “honest.”
The actress continued, “I have my ideas, and I always come with all heart, all brain, all muscle. Circling back to going over to other Sheridan properties, she said, “So, no, I think I’m good here on ‘Lioness.’ ”
She talked about her co-star Michael Kelly joining other shows
Specifically, her “Lion” costar Michael Kellywho plays CIA Assistant Director Byron Westfield, steps out to another Sheridan show, as he enters the third season of “Landman.” Responding to the news, she said, “Michael can’t be going there and doing more work. If we come back for season 4, we’ll have him first.”
Afterwards, she spoke about her costar’s impact on the big show, saying, “I can’t see anyone else playing Byron. He’s fantastic as [Byron] Westfield, and he is such a talented actor, and I really enjoy sharing screen time with him. I’m learning a lot from Michael.”
Saldaña went on to cast doubt on the future of the show after the plot twist in its third season. According to her, “I don’t know if we can go to season 4. I don’t know where it would take him.”
Zoe previously praised Taylor Sheridan’s look for ‘Lioness’ season 3
Saldaña spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the third season of “Lioness” ahead of its premiere. Regarding Sheridan’s work on the show, she said, “I had various conversations with Taylor about where he was going to take it, and I’m really happy and proud of the direction it ended up taking.”
However, her love of filming for season three of the hit show doesn’t mean filming was a walk in the park. She said, “It was very challenging, I’m not going to lie. And I didn’t even know if I could pull it off.”
As for the series itself, she said, “What I love about the show is that it strikes a rare balance between high-octane action and real emotional depth.
The actress has many roles on the Horizon
While it is currently unclear if “Lioness” will move forward with a fourth season, Saldaña has several projects in the works. According to Date, one of her roles is in the next film “Riverrun,” which was directed by the French filmmaker. Philippe Parreno.
“Riverrun” premiered at the Rome Film Festival 2026. It will also appear alongside Matthew Mackenzie in Netflix’s “Positano.”