There was a point in time where Laysla De Oliveira and her character Cruz Manuelos were not going to return for Season 2 of Paramount+’s Lioness. During the first installment of the Taylor Sheridan series, fans were gripped by Cruz’s journey from promising young Marine to star asset in the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team, led by the unflinching station chief, Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña). After Cruz completed her mission—killing a war profiteer with ties to terrorist organizations at the expense of her relationship with his daughter—her time with the Lioness program seemed to be finished. “I got a call from Taylor explaining where the story was going,” remembered De Oliveira. “As hard as that was to hear as an actress, I completely understood the vision.”
Luckily for De Oliveira and audiences, Sheridan soon realized that he could enrich the second season by continuing Cruz’s story. “After he wrote that third episode, he just totally changed his mind,” said De Oliveira happily. “He found a really meaningful and powerful way to bring Cruz back.” Now a hardened veteran of the program, Cruz is the only person whom Joe can reach out to for help with her new Lioness, Captain Josie Carillo (Genesis Rodriguez). As a decorated Captain with familial ties to one of Mexico’s most dangerous cartels, Los Tigres, Carillo is a bit of a loose cannon. Joe wonders if Josie will be able to set aside her obvious bias to complete her objective— infiltrating the cartel and sussing out the secret Chinese agent embedded in Mexico’s Ministry of State, and she knows that Cruz is the only person who can ensure the mission will be a success.
“Cruz is at a crucial juncture,” explained De Oliveira. As Cruz struggles “to understand the geopolitical machine that she’s a part of,” De Oliveira notes that Cruz is “trying to turn her pain into knowledge and power.” Cruz’s willingness to put her mission above all else makes her a valuable asset for Joe and the perfect person to help Josie achieve the unit’s goal. “As emotional as Cruz is, she always gets the job done,” said De Oliveira.
During a recent Zoom call, De Oliveira spoke to Decider about Cruz’s evolution, working with Sheridan, and what her “idol” Saldaña is like as a scene partner.
DECIDER: Cruz is such a compelling character. Were you excited to continue her journey in Season 2? How was she changed?
LAYSLA DE OLIVEIRA: I was beyond excited. There was a moment in time where she was not going to be a part of season two.
That’s shocking!
Right? That was so devastating for me. I initially got a call from Taylor explaining where the story was going. As hard as that was to hear as an actress, I completely understood the vision. He’s such a prolific writer. What makes the show so great is that we are exploring different things each season. Six weeks later, after he wrote that third episode, he just totally changed his mind and found a really meaningful and powerful way to bring Cruz back. I was just beside myself. I was over the moon.
I honestly can’t imagine the show without Cruz.
I’m so happy you think so. I was so happy that I got to do this again. It’s such an honor to explore Taylor’s writing and work.
What’s the best part about cracking open a fresh Taylor Sheridan script?
I’m going to tell you something. When we’re training and those scripts come in, we’re all like, “see ya, gotta go!” [Laughs] It’s like Christmas morning when a script hits your inbox. What’s so cool is that Taylor really doesn’t change his scripts. What you see is what you get. On other shows I’ve worked on, scripts are revised until the last possible second. Taylor’s writing is always raw and real and always really good. You just feel so lucky to be able to participate in his writing.
I’m also amazed at how accessible Taylor is to his actors and crew.
Especially with actors. I don’t know how he writes a million shows and directs all of them and is still just a phone call away. He’s always open to talk about work, especially when it comes to character choices. If you send him a text saying, “hey, am I doing this or this? Where is this character coming from?” He’ll call you back in five minutes with answers. It’s crazy. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m just happy to be a part of it.
Enough about Taylor, let’s talk about Cruz. How has she changed after the events of the first season?
Cruz is at a crucial juncture. She has undergone a metamorphosis. She’s a completely different person than she was last season. She’s grown a lot. After taking some time off, she was deployed off the coast of Somalia. I think she’s trying to understand the geo political machine that she’s a part of. She’s a patriot. Her country will always be her biggest love. She’s trying to turn her pain into knowledge and power. We’ll see that as the story progresses.
Joe says she needs Cruz because she knows Cruz will “put the mission above all else because the mission is worthy and executing it will save lives.” Is that true?
People can see that line is a manipulation tactic, but is it really? I do think that Cruz really believes that. As the season progresses, we’ll see Cruz’s and Joe’s relationship develop. It’ll be really interesting because Cruz starts to see where Joe is coming from. Where they differ is that it’s been a long time since Joe has been a lioness whereas Cruz has just been a lioness. That will factor into that relationship.
It’s interesting that you point that out. It seems like Cruz is not as susceptible to Joe’s manipulation tactics the second time around. This season so far, Cruz is one of the only people Joe has been completely honest with.
Cruz reminds Joe a lot of herself. I think Cruz will start to see that they are very similar after all. When I mention Cruz’s metamorphosis, I’m not only talking about Cruz’s relationship with herself, but her relationship with Joe as well. Again, though, let’s be real. Joe just told Cruz that she may have to kill a fellow lioness [laughs]. So, Cruz is going through it. However, that is the mission. As emotional as Cruz is, she always gets the job done. I’m eager for the audience to see what’s in store.
Because of what she may be potentially ordered to do, will Cruz allow herself to become close with Josie? How important is it for her to keep her guard up?
The relationship between Cruz and Josie is so interesting. Cruz feels a lot of guilt about what she has just done and also what she might have to do. and Cruz both explore the boundaries in their relationship and then test each other’s boundary. How that progresses is for the audience to find out. Cruz is in a very interesting position, to say the least.
I personally can’t wait to see two lionesses in action together. What does Genesis Rodriguez bring to Josie? What makes the character so special?
Genesis is an incredible human being and a fantastic actress. Let’s just start there [laughs]. In the Lioness program, each lioness is selected based on her skill set and what the mission is. With Josie, the program has a whole new weapon in its arsenal. In addition to her connection to the target, she is a high ranking captain who flies helicopters. But what’s really wild this year is that a lioness may be the mark.
Cruz’s background is filled with hardships and heartbreak. Do you believe Cruz thinks she has broken out of her family’s self-destructive cycle?
She believes she has. That is why she’s willing to put mission above all else. She’s willing to sacrifice everything for her country, including her only love. She’s willing to be selfless because she is serving the collective. That’s where she’s needed.
After completing her initial mission as a lioness, Cruz chooses to remain in the grey and continue to serve. Do you think Cruz wants back in as a lioness or is she just bound by duty to jump back in?
In Joe’s monologue—when Joe comes to forcefully bring Cruz back in—it is revealed that Cruz could have become a police officer, but she chose to stay. Deep down, she believes in the mission or else she would have already quit, which is the other option Joe offered. As we saw in the first season, Cruz comes from a rough background. She’s found her purpose, and I don’t think she’s willing to give it up. It’s all up to Taylor, however. We’ll have to see how her journey progresses.
You and Zoe Saldaña work beautifully opposite one another. What’s she like as a scene partner?
She’s a dream come true. She’s the best. This season was even more fun because of our previous experience working together. To be able to work with somebody who is my idol and who has become a friend is just so beautiful. That’s the chemistry that you’re seeing on screen. Zoe is incredibly generous. She is not really concerned about how she’s appearing or how important her character is in a scene . She’s a giver. It’s really magical to be able to create art with her.
What can you tease about the rest of the season?
The stakes are high. Things get heated very quickly. Audiences will be interested to see how these characters have evolved from last season. It’s not just Cruz. Everybody’s rebounding from a traumatic experience. Fans will see how everything comes to a head soon enough
New episodes of Lioness drop Sundays on Paramount+
