Taylor Sheridan is getting back out in front of the camera.
The creator of Lioness, as well as Landman, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King and Yellowstone and its spinoffs, has a surprise on-camera role in season three of the Paramount+ spy thriller, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
“He’s involved. I mean, he has a role, which is great. And the show’s better for it when he plays a role,” Thad Luckinbill told THR of Sheridan’s balancing acting with writing and producing his many television series. “He’s a great character, and he kills it. So, I love when he comes in and plays with us.”
THR also reached out to Paramount for comment.
While Luckinbill, who plays Kyle McManus, a field-active CIA paramilitary officer and old friend of station chief Joe (Zoe Saldaña), couldn’t say much more about what Sheridan’s role would entail, he did reveal they share scenes together. Sheridan previously appeared as CIA officer Cody Spears in a cameo during season two.
It isn’t unfamiliar territory for Sheridan. Before becoming one of television’s most prolific creators, he appeared in series including Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars, in addition to onscreen roles in Yellowstone and 1883.
Whether it’s in front of or behind the camera, Luckinbill said he still gives every part his full attention.
“He’s so real. Whether he’s an actor, writer, director or a producer, he’s still the same guy,” Luckinbill, who co-starred with Sheridan in 2018’s 12 Strong, said. “He’s gonna give you the same opinions, and he cares the same about the product. So it doesn’t really change. He is who he is and you get it. He’s full access.”
Matt Gerald, who plays Army Delta Force operator Cody J, teased that the stakes are “incredibly high, if not the highest yet.”
“It starts with a bang. It’s nonstop throughout the entirety of the season — and it ends with a bang.”
As for the behind-the-scenes training, Gerald explained, “We started with some weapons training with some of our top military class, some of the best coaching forces guys on the planet that we were lucky enough to train with. They put us through some close quarter combat stuff. So shooting a variety of weapons, training, movement stuff, a lot of explosions, breaching doors. We did it all.”
He added, “In a time where there’s a lot of war going on in the world, we’re asking our soldiers to risk life and limb, to be able to get an understanding of the things they do when they go to work every day, it’s highly rewarding.”
Per Paramount+, here’s the official season three logline: “Hidden networks, foreign operatives and personal betrayals collide. Joe (Saldaña) walks the line between duty and home as unseen forces circle her world. Patterns appear where they shouldn’t, names vanish and paths rearrange. Guided by Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) and Westfield (Michael Kelly), Joe confronts enemies operating in the shadows, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life.”
Lioness season three premieres Sunday on Paramount+.