Zoe Saldana reveals she ‘learned so much’ from Nicole Kidman on Lioness set

The Avatar and Marvel star now speaks about once a week to Aussie actress Nicole Kidman on the set of their latest project, Special Ops: Lioness, and says she’s learnt a lot.

There’s a scene in the opening episode of Lioness, where Zoe Saldana’s character has to shed the horrors of her latest CIA mission and drop straight back into being a mum.

Her on-screen husband’s stunned – almost horrified – as she arrives unannounced back home, without the usual phone-call briefing from him.

It might seem like it’s a mirror of the Avatar actor’s life as she rejoins her family after a long shoot on a Hollywood blockbuster, but Saldana hastens to assure it’s far from a peek into her life as mum of three boys, with writer-director husband Marco Perego-Saldana. She laughs as she brands them a travelling circus – the tightly knit unit travel everywhere together. And they bring their parents – and assorted aunts and uncles at times – along too.

Zoe Saldana attends the screening to launch the new Paramount+ series Special Ops: Lioness in London. Picture: Getty Images

“I feel like everything that we work really hard for goes into making sure that we keep providing our children with the foundations that will shape their lives,” Saldana shares.

“I see them every morning before I go to work. And then if I’m home early, I’ll see them at night and I’ll tuck them in sometimes. Sometimes I’ll even arrive in time to make dinner.

“When I am shooting 14-hour days, we always prepare ourselves as a family for those moments.

“It’s hard because I miss them and you do feel like you’re missing out and you’re always going to carry this guilt. So in a way (Joe) is relatable but I don’t have that situation with my partner.

“We are literally always filling in each other’s gaps so that nothing is unknown.

“I hope this continues. The day it stops being that way, then we will change our rhythm.”

It’s nearing 11pm in Paris at the end of a very long day for Saldana when we’re chatting over Zoom some weeks before the US actors strike put paid to publicity for projects.

She’s still so very eloquent and generous with her answers, especially appreciative of the early call time for journalists on the other side of the globe.

Zoe Saldana is Joe in Special Ops: Lioness. Picture: Paramount +

Lioness fits neatly into the Saldana Cinematic Universe – the Avatar movies and the Marvel films are also about war and the spectra of good and evil.

Inspired by an actual US Military program, the eight-episodes follow the life of Saldana’s Joe while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life working as an CIA operative in the Middle East to thwart the next 9/11. It’s the latest addition to Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan’s already impressive slate of TV work.

Laysla De Oliveira stars as Cruz – a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to the program – and says it’s any actor’s dream to explore a Sheridan script.

“ … because of the way he writes, he writes these dynamic, complex characters with a lot of range,” she says, adding that combined with working with her idols Saldana and the other big names including Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman was mind blowing.

“And so getting to explore that while looking into your idol’s eyes is fantastic.

“They’re so talented, they elevate everybody’s work around them. And they were also so incredibly kind and generous. It was such a dream come true.”

Zoe Saldana is Joe in Special Ops: Lioness. Picture: Paramount +

Saldana appreciated gaining a glimpse of what it must be like to serve in the military – she laughs as she says, “To be an actor and a full-time parent and a full-time all those hyphenated titles — wife and daughter and community provider — is a little like serving in the military, I’ll tell you that”.

But then adds, more seriously, how she realises it’s not quite as taxing as the demands of real operative’s missions.

“I have a great deal of respect and I revere the people, especially women that serve because their stories don’t get to be told as much.

“There’s not a single woman in this show that is standing up to a man justifying or excusing or explaining herself.

“And there’s not a single male character that is bullish or weak or, you know, a misogynist towards a woman, because it’s not about any of that.

“It’s about getting the job done and serving your country. And that was what I liked.”

There is no Joe without Kidman’s character Kaitlyn – a senior CIA executive who oversees the Lioness programs – and Saldana relished the chance to work with our Nic on the espionage thriller.

“I learned so much from her,” she shared.

“And just to be standing so close to one of my giants – she’s a freaking incredible actress.

“Her range is infinite. And she’s just so passionate. She’s so hard working. She approaches everything full on and she’s so prepared.”

Both served as executive producers on the series, and have since become firm friends.

“We’re in constant communication,” Saldana said. “I’m literally speaking to her once or twice a week, every week now. It’s just been a treat.”

Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman star in Special Ops: Lioness. Picture: Getty Images

The intense training wasn’t as much of a treat for the pair. There’s less physical action for Saldana’s Joe who’s more of a leader of the program which trains women as covert operatives and deploys them to trouble spots around the world to deter insurgents from using women in their attack.

“I wasn’t upset about it,” she says.

“I’ve been doing stunts for over 15 years. I appreciated using my brain as my muscle for this character.”

While De Oliveira – whose first name causes much consternation for people, it’s pronounced Lies-la and it comes from the Madonna song La Isla Bonita – spent months of intense preparation, she admits she was rather fearful when it came to the physical aspect of the show.

However what was a gift for the Locke and Key actor was discovering the depths of her physical and mental strength. She trained at an LA gym, learning hand-to-hand combat and wresting grown men. Weapons training with a former Navy SEAL continued on set.

“The crews pushed me to the limits physically and this taught me how resilient I am,” De Oliveira shares. “Emotionally, it was also incredibly challenging but very artistically fulfilling.

“And when I was finished shooting, it definitely took some time to shake off.

“But I think that’s the journey of being an actor – manifesting all these feelings and sensations and putting them on screen so that people can also feel something.

“It was such a gift to realise how strong I was and I’m so thankful to Taylor for writing strong women on screen and, as a result, helping actors feel that way in real life as well.”

Special Ops: Lioness is now streaming on Paramount+.

Originally published as Zoe Saldana reveals she ‘learned so much’ from Nicole Kidman on Lioness set