Oscar-winning actress Zoe Saldaña has revealed that she spent an entire year turning down the lead role of CIA operative Joe McNamara in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ espionage drama Lioness before finally signing on. Her reflection comes shortly after the conclusion of the show's third season and coincides with the scheduled November 1, 2026 arrival of her 2011 solo action thriller Colombiana on Starz in the United States.

According to Yahoo Entertainment, Saldaña discussed her initial hesitation during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ahead of the third season of Lioness. While the actress has become a fixture of action-oriented television and film—serving as both the lead star and an executive producer on Sheridan's special ops series—stepping into the project required overcoming significant personal doubt and navigating intense script demands.

Why Zoe Saldaña Hesitated to Join 'Lioness'

Saldaña explained during her late-night appearance that her year-long refusal stemmed from internal doubt rather than a lack of interest in the material. "For a year I said no because I didn't believe in me, but I kept saying this: 'If Taylor Sheridan believes in you ... then you have no choice but to believe in yourself,'" Saldaña recalled, as cited by Yahoo Entertainment.

The actress noted that Sheridan's reputation for crafting dense, character-driven worlds ultimately convinced her to take the leap. She pointed to the roster of established stars who have headlined Sheridan's various television projects as proof of the material's quality. "He writes amazing worlds, and there's got to be a reason as to why actors like Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, they all just jump on board every time someone like Taylor Sheridan makes a call," Saldaña said. "And it's because he writes really rich characters, and for actors, there's a lot of growth that happens when you play characters that he creates."

Beyond general self-doubt, Saldaña also weighed the specific vocal and cognitive demands of Sheridan's writing style. Referencing a 2024 interview with People, Yahoo Entertainment noted that Saldaña has dyslexia and anxiety, which made Sheridan's word-heavy scripts a distinct professional hurdle. "It's made me believe that I can do it if I continue to really work really hard," Saldaña told the publication regarding the show's dialogue. "I think addressing my dyslexia and my anxiety was the reason why I sort of embarked on this challenge to do a Taylor Sheridan sort of show. He's very dialogue-heavy. It's very wordy. There's a cadence to the way he wants the sort of the dialogues in the scenes to be said."

The Physical Toll of Season 3 and Future Prospects

Over three seasons on Paramount+, Saldaña's portrayal of Joe McNamara has required balancing high-stakes undercover military operations with volatile domestic drama. Throughout her career, Saldaña has maintained a rigorous physical baseline through major sci-fi and superhero franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Star Trek reboot trilogy, and James Cameron's Avatar saga—which recently saw the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash in 2025 ahead of planned fourth and fifth installments, according to ScreenRant.

Despite that extensive action background, the third season of Lioness introduced heavier physical requirements. According to Yahoo Entertainment, Sheridan specifically asked Saldaña to build additional muscle for the third installment. The outlet reports that the physical preparation proved so taxing that Saldaña decided she will not join another Sheridan-created series once her tenure on Lioness concludes, though that broader career decision has only been detailed in secondary reporting rather than a separate primary announcement.

While Paramount+ has yet to confirm whether Lioness will return for a fourth season, the narrative threads left at the end of Season 3 position Joe McNamara for further conflict, including fallout involving her husband Neal (played by Dave Annable) and the aftermath of her past abduction and torture.

'Colombiana' Brings Early Saldaña Action to Starz

For viewers looking to revisit Saldaña's earlier work in the action genre following the Season 3 finale of Lioness, her 2011 revenge thriller Colombiana is expanding its streaming footprint. Both ScreenRant and MovieWeb report that the 108-minute film is scheduled to arrive on Starz in the United States on November 1, 2026.

Directed by Olivier Megaton—known for helming Transporter 3 as well as Taken 2 and Taken 3—and co-written by Luc Besson, Colombiana stars Saldaña as Cataleya Restrepo. After witnessing the murder of her parents by a drug cartel at age nine, Cataleya trains to become a professional assassin to hunt down the syndicate responsible. The supporting cast includes Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, Callum Blue, Jordi Mollà, Amandla Stenberg, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Graham McTavish.

According to MovieWeb, the project originated from a script by Besson titled Mathilda, which was initially conceived as a sequel to his 1994 film Léon: The Professional, starring Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Following a dispute between Besson and the production and distribution company Gaumont, Besson and Megaton reworked the screenplay into the standalone feature Colombiana.

Released two years after Saldaña's appearances in 2009's Avatar and Star Trek, Colombiana marked the first time the actress was positioned as the sole action lead of a feature film. As reported by ScreenRant, the movie carried an estimated production budget of $40 million and grossed $71 million worldwide. While the film struggled with critics—holding a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to a 67% audience Popcornmeter score, and trailing the 77% rating earned by Lioness—reviewers at the time praised Saldaña's screen presence and physical credibility as an assassin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Saldaña’s initial hesitation rooted in self-doubt or concern about action work?

Her hesitation was rooted in self-doubt and the demands of the script rather than the physical stunts. Having worked across major action franchises for years, Saldaña was accustomed to physical roles, but she admitted to doubting herself for a year before accepting the lead role and noted that tackling Taylor Sheridan's word-heavy dialogue with dyslexia and anxiety was a central part of the challenge.

Will 'Colombiana' be available on Starz on November 1, 2026, and where else can it be watched?

Both ScreenRant and MovieWeb report that Colombiana is scheduled to join the Starz catalog in the United States on November 1, 2026. Regarding its availability prior to the Starz launch, reports differ: according to ScreenRant, the film has been available strictly to buy or rent on digital storefronts like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, while MovieWeb reports that the title is also streaming for free with ads in the U.S. on Pluto TV.

Where can viewers stream all three seasons of 'Lioness'?

All three seasons of Lioness are available to stream on Paramount+ in the United States.

Sources