00:01I've been using this one all morning. Our next guests are the stars of the hit TV show
00:06Lioness on Paramount+. Lysla Diolivera and Jill Wagner. The show follows a high-stakes
00:12CIA undercover program that recruits female operatives working to infiltrate terrorist
00:17organizations. Diolivera plays Cruz in the espionage thriller, a former military recruit,
00:22and Wagner plays a rugged team leader named Bobby. In this clip from the season premiere,
00:27the team recovers after a risky operation. Where are you going? I have no idea. Do they have a place
00:37for us?
00:39That's the hall of things, Jen.
00:47I've seen a lot of crazy s***, boss. What the hell? Not here, Bobby.
00:52Robots and drones. Not here.
00:58Do we have an ex-fuel? Same way we came in. Just backwards.
01:04All right, Lysla Diolivera and Jill Wagner join us now. And by the way, ladies, I loved when you're
01:09watching this scene, you're just exchanging looks.
01:12It was so cute to remember.
01:14Just remember what happened on the day. That particular helicopter scene was really funny for us.
01:18So why? Because they, here we go. They created a gimbal. Usually we do go up in the helicopter,
01:26but this one for safety reasons, because what do you call that? The lip of the helicopter?
01:32Like the, yeah. So because we were sitting on the edge, they created a gimbal. It was up really high.
01:37And again, it was like some kind of like a machine that, yeah. And I'm not a roller coaster girlie.
01:43So they, they strapped us on and we had to learn how to shoot with like, um, well, basically the
01:50whole
01:51thing is tilted like this. So you feel like you're going to fall off, but you're not because you're
01:54tethered. So this one, so you're supposed to go that, that, that, that, that, like to your mark.
02:01And I was like, and then I'm like, I look at her and I'm like, I'm like, how am I
02:07supposed to operate?
02:08Like, and so we were just dying laughing. And I really thought, I don't know if I'm going to be
02:12able to do that, but it looks good. It came out. Okay. When they said action, that face, honey.
02:18Yeah. You guys play kicking butt so well, so well, both of you. It's so intense. It's so fierce.
02:26Military action movies and shows aren't really for me, but somehow now when it's women doing it,
02:32I love it. What is that about? And well, I think too, I think it's, it's not just women. It's
02:38like
02:38real women. So, so we know that these, these women really exist. So it's not these Marvel characters
02:45that you, they, they have capes, you know, they're fictitious, like these are real women. And so it's
02:51also inspiring. I think, I hope for, for young women to see that and think, wow, we're, we're
02:57sacrificing too. We're, we are also war heroes. Yes. And I think it's about the relationships in
03:03the show too that make it so interesting. I love watching that aspect of the show.
03:08No, I couldn't agree more. And I think what's so wonderful is we're really refining this strong
03:14female character because yes, you all are so strong, but there's a messiness. There's a flawedness.
03:20It's okay. Like, I feel like I could never do the stuff that you guys do in the show, but
03:23there's
03:24a relatability. And Jill, you pitched this idea to Taylor Sheridan. You're an executive producer.
03:30This was your idea? Yes. Yeah. Well, I will give my husband credit as well. We came up with this
03:36idea
03:36in our backyard on our farm in Tennessee. And I, and it really stemmed from my love for the military
03:43and my husband's in the military. Um, and then also me saying, well, I guess I kind of missed the
03:49boat in Hollywood, meaning Hollywood sees me as the girl next door. And I know there's this other side
03:54I'd love to play and I'd love to represent my heroes. And my husband was like, well, why don't
04:00you create something? And it all stemmed from that one night of him telling me about lionesses
04:06and then, uh, I took it to Taylor Sheridan because he was my old acting coach and Taylor
04:12created this incredible world in which you see, which I think only he could have done.
04:18And lionesses did exist in Iraq and Afghanistan.
04:20They did in a different capacity. I mean, Taylor has kind of created this CIA. I mean, there
04:26are, there are women that, that do these roles. I don't necessarily know that they're all called
04:31lionesses, but they do exist. I know a few of them. And, and I love the fact that
04:35they love the show. Yeah. Yes. You know, yes, we all love the show and women and men love this.
04:41Yeah. My husband loved the show. I mean, we're all in. So tell us what you can about season three,
04:46because you left us hanging at the end of season two and we know that things are going to go
04:49down.
04:49I always say I'm the Tom Holland of the group. So I'm like, it is great. You should watch it.
04:53No, the season is, uh, the mission's more personal than ever. Uh, there's a, there's modern warfare.
05:01There's, um, a lot of individual interests, I would say, and ethical lines being blurred.
05:08That's a big part of, of all the seasons. It's like the ethics of all of this, right?
05:11Yes. Yes. You were, we were talking about this earlier. You guys are being asked,
05:14your characters are being asked to do something that is for love of country,
05:18but can be ethically questionable. Yeah. How do you, the good, the good guys doing,
05:23having to do the bad things and how did they deal with that? You know, I, I know some of
05:29these,
05:29these men and women personally, and it, it haunts them. And so how do we portray that on screen?
05:37I mean, look, even my character, I don't, you never, you're probably never going to see Bobby break,
05:41but she breaks. I know she breaks. Uh, she breaks behind closed doors, uh, where no one can see her.
05:47I think that happens to all of them. We have to remember that these people are just human as well.
05:51They're trying to do the best they can to protect our country. Yeah. I mean, there's this humanity.
05:56You're, you're asking audiences to empathize with these very difficult choices, but also it's very
06:02physically difficult. I mean, how do you put yourself in? Oh my gosh. You can be emotional,
06:06but also I don't know. I didn't lift a single weight before I started this job. I'm not joking.
06:12When I got the job at Taylor, I was like, I guess I better go to the gym tomorrow. I
06:16knew her heart,
06:16but the, the physical journey has been a great one for me. And I just keep getting better and
06:22better at it. I'm catching up to cruise. A lot of it. Like we, our stunt doubles help too,
06:27but we do. The pull-ups. That was all her. That was all me. I don't know.
06:34You know, um, I would love to say that, that, you know, my stunt double does a ton of the
06:40stuff,
06:40but when it comes down to it, when Taylor's on set, he makes you do it for real. He likes
06:44to see
06:44you get in there and do it because he's like, you could ask for your stunt double. He'll be like,
06:48uh, I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Although we do give them credit because they do,
06:52they'll come in a separate day and pick everything up and they put, they put everything together,
06:56but we go through real military training and do everything for real. So that it's,
07:01seeing you guys with the guns, hanging off the helicopters, real or fake is amazing.
07:05So you go toe to toe with Zoe Saldana, who must be. She's a powerhouse. A force.
07:10Yeah. She's a force. It's incredible. How did that feel quickly? Magical. I was just,
07:15I still can't believe that that's the experience that I've been able to have,
07:20especially with someone like her. Like I, you know, studied her my, you know, entire career.
07:24So being able to work with her. Ladies, thank you so much.
07:27Laysla De Oliveira and Jill Wagner. We're so appreciated.
07:31Lion of season three premieres tomorrow.
07:32A second on Paramount plus, and we will be right back.
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