Zoe Saldaña has praised Lioness creator Taylor Sheridan for writing female characters with complexity that transcends gender and race. Speaking ahead of the Paramount+ drama’s third season, she said her CIA-agent character Joe McNamara could plausibly have been written as a man, and argued that strong writing broadens the range of actors who could play a role.

Saldaña, an Oscar winner who also executive produces the series alongside Nicole Kidman, said she was honoured that Sheridan wrote Joe as a woman after playing the part for three seasons. Lioness returns on 2 August, with the new season following Joe as hidden networks, foreign operatives and personal betrayals threaten both her work and home life; Jill Wagner, who plays Bobby, also said Sheridan puts aspects of himself into many characters.