Here's the cast of Taylor Sheridan's latest Paramount+ drama 'Special Ops: Lioness' and who they're playing
New espionage thriller "Special Ops: Lioness" is set to premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, July 23.
The cast includes major stars like Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña, and Morgan Freeman.
There are also several actors fans might recognize from their roles in other Taylor Sheridan dramas.
Laysla De Oliveira plays a rough-around-the-edges US Marine recruited to join the CIA's Lioness program.
When audiences first meet Cruz Manuelos, she's working a low-paying job at a burger chain and stuck in an abusive relationship. Her paths cross with the US Marines by chance on the day she ends up leaving her boyfriend, setting her on a brand new path.
Excelling at both written exams and physical tests, Cruz is picked out to join the CIA's Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within.
You may have seen the Canadian actor in Netflix's supernatural series "Locke & Key," as well as "The Gifted," and "iZombie." Her film credits include the horror films "In The Tall Grass" and "Guest of Honour," and the romance drama "Needle in a Timestack."
Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman plays Kaitlyn Meade, a high-ranking CIA agent who oversees the Lioness program.
Meade's role is to send female operatives on undercover missions, with the help of Joe, her woman on the ground.
Kidman, who also serves as an executive producer on "Special Ops: Lioness," has had an incredibly successful movie career, starring in the likes of "Moulin Rouge," "Eyes Wide Shut," "The Hours," and most recently, "The Northman."
In recent years, the actor has made a pivot to television, including an Emmy-winning performance in "Big Little Lies" and also starring in the likes of "Nine Perfect Strangers," "The Undoing," and "Roar."
Michael Kelly plays Donald Westfield, who works alongside Meade to make sure undercover missions go off without a hitch.
The CIA Deputy Director is determined to prevent the next major terrorist attack and is supportive of the program's unusual and unsuspecting methods in doing so.
Viewers may be familiar with Kelly from his roles in "House of Cards" and the recently concluded "Jack Ryan," in which he also played a CIA agent. The actor's big screen credits include "Man of Steel," "Dawn of the Dead," "Now You See Me," and the recently released "Transformers" franchise installment "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts."
Zoe Saldaña plays Joe, who is described as the tip of the CIA's spear in the war on terror.
As audiences see in the premiere, Joe struggles to juggle her demanding job with being a parent to her two daughters, as she often finds herself away from home for long stretches of time.
Saldaña, like Kidman, is one of the show's executive producers, meaning that her role in "Special Ops: Lioness" went far beyond just playing Joe. The actor has starred in many box-office blockbusters, including "Avatar" and its 2022 sequel, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, and "Star Trek."
Oscar winner Morgan Freeman plays Edwin Mullins, the US Secretary of State.
Morgan doesn't make an appearance in the premiere episode of "Special Ops: Lioness," meaning viewers have yet to meet his character, Edwin Mullins. As Secretary of State, it's expected that he will pop up as Cruz's operation begins to yield results.
Freeman has held roles in a wide variety of film genres, from dramas like "Millon Dollar Baby" to comedies like "Driving Miss Daisy," and biopics such as "Invictus." The actor has become such a legend in Hollywood that he's also played himself a few times too, including in "Coming 2 America," and the Netflix series "The Kominsky Method."
Dave Annable plays Joe's husband, Neil.
Neil is the primary caregiver to his and Joe's two daughters, Kate and Charlie.
Annable previously starred in "Special Ops: Lioness" creator Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western drama, "Yellowstone." In the Paramount show's debut episode, he portrayed the fourth Dutton sibling, Lee, who gets killed in the crossfire of a dispute between the ranchers and their Native American adversaries.
He's also appeared in The CW's "Walker," Fox's "Red Band Society," and ABC's "666 Park Avenue."
Stephanie Nur plays Aaliyah, an Iranian woman who is the daughter of a billionaire businessman with ties to terrorism.
She's the mark that Cruz has been instructed to befriend, in order to bring down the operation from within.
Nur is another star who has worked with Sheridan before; she played brothel worker Melodi in "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883." Aside from that, she has also appeared in the TV series "Four Women and a Funeral" and has a role in the upcoming sequel, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3."
LaMonica Garrett plays Tucker, a member of Joe's team.
Garrett was most recently seen in Prime Video's "The Terminal List," and has made appearances in the likes of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Fantasy Island." In the Arrowverse franchise shows "Legends of Tomorrow," "The Flash," "Batwoman," and "Supergirl," he played Mar Novu/The Monitor.
Like Nur, Garrett previously appeared in "1883" but he had a much more significant role. He played Thomas, a former buffalo soldier who worked with Sam Elliott's character to help lead a group along the Oregon Trail.
Bobby, played by Jill Wagner, is a CIA Special Activities Division operative.
Bobby is also part of Joe's team and works closely with Cruz while she's stationed in Kuwait.
Wagner has made a name for herself appearing in over a dozen Hallmark holiday movies in the last decade, but she's also starred in the likes of "Teen Wolf" and "Stargate: Atlantis."
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