We've got another addition to the Sheridan-verse, as Special Ops: Lioness makes its debut as the latest Paramount Plus original series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. Of course with the show comes a new group of characters and the actors playing them. With that in mind we're here to break down the Special Ops: Lioness cast.
As should be no surprise for a Sheridan series, it has its fair share of big-name stars. Yellowstone has Kevin Costner, 1923 has Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, Tulsa King Sylvester Stallone and Mayor of Kingstown Jeremy Renner. For Special Ops: Lioness, Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman make for an impressive top billing of the spy thriller's cast.
Find out who these major stars are playing in the show and who is joining them as part of the Special Ops: Lioness cast.
Zoe Saldana as Joe
Joe is one of the leaders of the CIA's Lioness program, directly recruiting and handling the assets. As the series starts, she is trying to overcome a recent mistake, which impacts how she handles things with her new recruit, Cruz Manuelos. Despite the dangers of her job, Joe definitely is more comfortable there than she is at home with her family.
Zoe Saldana is well known to viewers everywhere, as she has helped headline a few massive franchises, Avatar, The Guardians of the Galaxy and the recent Star Trek movies. She still manages to keep busy outside of those, however. In 2022 alone, she appeared in The Adam Project, Amsterdam and From Scratch.
Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos
When we first meet Cruz Manuelos, she is in an abusive relationship, though she has clearly had enough of it. When a Marine helps her as she tries to get away from her boyfriend, it inspires her to enlist so she can protect others. She quickly shows a special ability for the mental and physical rigors of the job, which makes her a prime candidate for the Lioness program.
Special Ops: Lioness is the biggest role of De Oliveira's career thus far, though she did appear in multiple episodes of the Netflix show Locke & Key and appeared in the likes of The Gifted, iZombie and Covert Affairs.
Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade
Kaitlyn Meade is Joe's direct supervisor on the Lioness program, helping her with the more bureaucratic parts of the job. Nicole Kidman is a producer on the show, but she apparently told Taylor Sheridan that he was going to write a part for her so she could work with him as an actor as well.
Kidman is of course an Oscar-winning actress for The Hours, as well as appearing in popular movies like Moulin Rouge! and more recently The Northman. She has also been active on TV in recent years, starring in Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers.
Michael Kelly as Donald Westfield
Donald Westfield is a CIA official that works with the Lioness program, mostly in an oversight role. Michael Kelly takes on the role, which puts him in another spy thriller after he starred in multiple seasons of Prime Video's Jack Ryan, including the most recent Jack Ryan season 4. Kelly is an Emmy-nominated actor also known for his time on House of Cards.
Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah
Aaliyah is the mark that Cruz is meant to get close to in the hopes she'll be able to gain her trust and find out the location of Aaliyah's father, a billionaire businessman with ties to terrorism that is a high-value target of the CIA.
Stephanie Nur is a Taylor Sheridan veteran, having appeared in multiple episodes of 1883. She is also set to appear in the upcoming movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.
Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins
Edwin Mullins is the US Secretary of State, who is kept in the loop of the Lioness program. Legendary actor Morgan Freeman is no stranger to playing high-ranking government officials. He's played the president in Deep Impact, South African president Nelson Mandela in Invictus and both the vice president and president in London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen. This is Freeman's second high-profile project of 2023, following the movie A Good Person.
Dave Annable as Neil
Neil is Joe's husband. While the two love each other, it is clear that Joe's job makes their relationship very complicated. Dave Annable's returns to a Taylor Sheridan show after playing the eldest Dutton son Lee on Yellowstone, a role that did not last long. He has also appeared in Walker, Heartbeat and Red Band Society.
Hannah Love Lanier as Kate
Kate is Joe's eldest daughter, whose relationship with her mother is strained because of her work. Lanier is still new to Hollywood, though she has previously appeared in A Black Lady Sketch Show and The Tiny Mighty Club.
Other members of the Special Ops: Lioness cast
The rest of the regular cast for Special Ops: Lioness are the members of Joe's team, which includes Jill Wagner (Teen Wolf) as Bobby, James Jordan (Yellowstone) as Two Cups, LaMonica Garrett (1883) as Tucker, Austin Hébert (Ray Donovan) as Randy and Jonah Wharton (The Rookie) as Tex.
