{"id":756,"date":"2026-08-04T15:18:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T15:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/04\/zoe-saldana-reveals-she-and-nicole-kidman-tag-team-finding-lioness-creator-taylor-sheridan-between-scenes-exclusive\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T15:18:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T15:18:55","slug":"zoe-saldana-reveals-she-and-nicole-kidman-tag-team-finding-lioness-creator-taylor-sheridan-between-scenes-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/04\/zoe-saldana-reveals-she-and-nicole-kidman-tag-team-finding-lioness-creator-taylor-sheridan-between-scenes-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoe Salda\u00f1a Reveals She and Nicole Kidman \u2018Tag Team\u2019 Finding \u2018Lioness\u2019 Creator Taylor Sheridan Between Scenes (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The \u2018Lioness\u2019 costars tell PEOPLE they often join forces to track down the show\u2019s creator whenever they want to talk through the show\u2019s complex scripts<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/NQgjNruUgFq9RyqqeqZnpXkv-1k=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/nicole-kidman-zoe-saldana-taylor-sheridan-073126-953ed96ed06a42a5ab15ccb8bb61e0e1.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Kidman with Zoe Salda\u00f1a; and Taylor SheridanCredit: Michael Buckner\/Variety via Getty; CBS\" title=\"Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana; Taylor Sheridan on The Road.\" \/><figcaption><i>Nicole Kidman with Zoe Salda\u00f1a; and Taylor Sheridan<br \/>Credit: Michael Buckner\/Variety via Getty; CBS<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Zoe Salda\u00f1a says she and Nicole Kidman \u201ctag-team\u201d finding <em>Lioness<\/em> creator Taylor Sheridan whenever they want to discuss scenes that aren\u2019t clicking<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Salda\u00f1a calls working with Kidman \u201ctrue joy,\u201d while Kidman praises her costar as \u201cso generous\u201d and \u201ca girl\u2019s girl\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Salda\u00f1a also opens up about her on-set dynamic with Sheridan, calling him \u201cextremely collaborative\u201d and praising the way he challenges his actors<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/zoe-saldana\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">Zoe Salda\u00f1a<\/a> and <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/nicole-kidman\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"null\">Nicole Kidman<\/a> have a secret weapon for tackling <em>Lioness<\/em>\u2018 toughest scenes: each other.<\/p>\n<p>The actresses tell PEOPLE they frequently \u201ctag team\u201d in order to track down creator <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/taylor-sheridan-11708308\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">Taylor Sheridan<\/a> between takes to discuss scenes that \u201cdon\u2019t feel like they\u2019re making any sense\u201d \u2014 a routine they\u2019ve developed after three seasons starring opposite one another in the Paramount+ spy thriller.<\/p>\n<p>After spending \u201cfive or ten minutes\u201d catching up each morning, Salda\u00f1a, 43, says the pair head to hair and makeup, where their conversations quickly turn to the day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe tag team finding out where Taylor is and seeing if he\u2019s going to call us back because, when we need him, it\u2019s always having to do with the work,\u201d Salda\u00f1a says.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/DJUsjDQXNejH6LAEjpXdC9Gik_4=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/lioness-zoe-saldana-nicole-kidman-072826-82265fa011f048b8afd1f571eaa18416.jpg\" alt=\"Zoe Salda\u00f1a and Nicole Kidman in \u2018Lioness\u2019 season 3Credit: Ryan Green\/Paramount+\" title=\"Zoe Salda\u00f1a and Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn in Lioness.\" \/><figcaption><i>Zoe Salda\u00f1a and Nicole Kidman in \u2018Lioness\u2019 season 3<br \/>Credit: Ryan Green\/Paramount+<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Salda\u00f1a, that collaboration is just one example of why she\u2019s come to admire Kidman so much.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful because I respect her so much,\u201d she says. \u201cNicole\u2026 I admire her. She\u2019s an incredibly talented woman, but what she is first and foremost, what I love the most, is she\u2019s a mother. She\u2019s a daughter. She\u2019s a sister. She\u2019s a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd she plays all of those roles beautifully,\u201d Salda\u00f1a continues. \u201cAnd she does it with so much love and unconditional support. That\u2019s admirable. So everything about working with Nicole has been true joy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kidman, 59, is just as complimentary of her costar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just love her,\u201d the Oscar winner tells PEOPLE. \u201cShe\u2019s just so fun, and she\u2019s so generous, and a girl\u2019s girl.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you get this kind of\u2026 we come into work, but then we have so many other things that we rely on,\u201d she continues. \u201cSo the work is here, but then we have all this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their teamwork comes in handy on <em>Lioness<\/em>, where Sheridan\u2019s military and intelligence-heavy scripts are packed with technical jargon and fast-moving dialogue that requires extensive preparation from the cast.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, Kidman revealed that she even has a team of researchers help her understand the show\u2019s dense CIA terminology before filming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to understand every single thing we\u2019re saying,\u201d she previously told PEOPLE. \u201cIt has to come trippingly off your tongue. You have to understand everything, and it has to be [like it\u2019s] something that you are using as everyday language all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added that preparing for the series is \u201clike suddenly doing a thesis in the CIA,\u201d explaining that she, <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-lioness-season-3-12029171\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">Michael Kelly<\/a> and <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/morgan-freeman-joins-star-studded-cast-paramount-plus-cia-drama-lioness\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"null\">Morgan Freeman<\/a> regularly run lines together, stopping to define unfamiliar terms before shooting.<\/p>\n<p>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\">PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n<p>Salda\u00f1a has also spoken about the challenge of mastering Sheridan\u2019s dialogue, previously telling PEOPLE that the role helped her confront both her dyslexia and anxiety because of the preparation required.<\/p>\n<p>Working directly with Sheridan has only deepened her appreciation for his process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s actually great,\u201d Salda\u00f1a says of having the <em>Yellowstone<\/em> creator as both a writer and scene partner. \u201cWhen you work with him is when you realize how passionate he is about actors and about acting. I think it is his first love when it comes to the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s an incredibly smart person. He\u2019s very curious about government affairs, and he seeks out information and education based on that curiosity,\u201d she continues. \u201cAnd then he writes these incredibly elaborate shows that end up really educating us as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/DUU2_qtb7GvU_sygMCMai3YxSus=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/zoe-saldana-nicole-kidman-lioness-061126-2-6f58b474bad047dfb0f5e7bd9295f145.jpg\" alt=\"Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Nicole Kidman and Zoe Salda\u00f1a in \u2018Lioness\u2019 season 3Credit: Ryan Green\/Paramount+\" title=\"Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins, Michael Kelly as Byron Westfield, Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn, Zoe Salda\u00f1a as Joe, in Lioness, episode 5, season 3, streaming on Paramount+, 2026.\" \/><figcaption><i>Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Nicole Kidman and Zoe Salda\u00f1a in \u2018Lioness\u2019 season 3<br \/>Credit: Ryan Green\/Paramount+<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to Salda\u00f1a, Sheridan constantly challenges the actors to elevate their performances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo working with him is a challenge in the sense that he does raise the bar,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd you have one of two choices. You either accept the challenge and make sure that you don\u2019t f&#8211;k up&#8230; or you quit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actress adds, \u201cAnd I like being challenged. I really do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She says what may surprise people most, however, is how collaborative he is once those conversations begin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen he knows that you care, when he knows where you\u2019re coming from, when you know exactly what it is that you want to talk about, he meets you where you\u2019re at,\u201d Salda\u00f1a says. \u201cHe\u2019s very collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I love collaborating with Taylor because I love his mind. I like his art. I like his writing. And I like playing roles that feel wholesome,\u201d Salda\u00f1a concludes.<\/p>\n<p>New episodes of <em>Lioness<\/em> season 3 stream Sundays on Paramount+.\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u2018Lioness\u2019 costars tell PEOPLE they often join forces to track down the show\u2019s creator whenever they want to talk through the show\u2019s complex scripts Nicole Kidman with Zoe Salda\u00f1a; and Taylor SheridanCredit: Michael Buckner\/Variety via Getty; CBS NEED TO KNOW Zoe Salda\u00f1a says she and Nicole Kidman \u201ctag-team\u201d finding Lioness creator Taylor Sheridan whenever [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}