‘Lioness’ Season 2’s Laysla De Oliveira and Genesis Rodriguez on Turning Their Pain Into Power

[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Season 2 of Lioness.]

The Big Picture

• Season 2 of the Paramount+ TV series ‘Lioness’ focuses on fighting terror, even when it hits close to home.
• Captain Josie Carrillo, played by Genesis Rodriguez, is tasked with turning her own father, leading to intense moments.
• Cruz, played by Laysla De Oliveira, helps guide Josie through the personal mission while exploring what makes their dynamic different.

From creator Taylor Sheridan, Season 2 of the Paramount+ series Lioness continues the fight against terror among the CIA’s most elite team, led by station chief Joe (Zoe Saldaña). As usual, a Lioness operative is needed to infiltrate a previously unknown threat, but when that threat turns out to be the Mexican drug cartel run by her uncle, they need Captain Josie Carrillo (Genesis Rodriguez) to turn her own father for his involvement. Knowing a mission that personal won’t be easy, Joe draws Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) back in to handle Josie and help guide her through it.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Rodriguez and De Oliveira discussed Josie and Cruz’s first impressions of each other, that everyone seems to be manipulating Josie, Cruz’s metamorphosis from who she was in Season 1, how important their physical training is to the storytelling, putting aside your own trauma in order to protect the country, the way that Cruz doesn’t pull any punches, shooting that intense moment between Josie and her father in episode six, and whether the ends really justify the means.

Collider: This is always quite the show to process when you watch it.

GENESIS RODRIGUEZ: We’re here to process it with you.

The ‘Lioness’ Season 2 Dynamic Between Josie, Cruz and Joe Is Definitely Complicated

We get to know Josie a bit before she’s thrown in with Cruz. What were their first impressions of each other, and how does that shape the way they continue to interact with each other?

RODRIGUEZ: I think the beauty of having [Cruz] and Josie together is because it’s the perfect way to be able to talk to Josie. There hasn’t been someone who’s been able to talk to or connect with her. She feels so alienated. And here comes Cruz, someone that’s been through everything that she’s currently going through, and she suddenly doesn’t feel so alone and so alienated.

LAYSLA DE OLIVEIRA: I absolutely agree with that. To add to that, Cruz has just been a lioness. It’s a really intricate dynamic between Cruz, Josie, and Joe. Joe’s tactic with Josie is going to be different than Cruz’s tactic with Josie because Cruz is just fresh off from being a lioness whereas Joe was a lioness a while ago. It was really fun to explore the intricacies of, “How do I get this girl to do what she needs me to do, or else it’s gonna be really hard for me? I’m going to essentially have to terminate the lioness, and we don’t want that to happen.” It’s a big elephant in the room, and it makes for a very dynamic relationship between the two of them. Of course, Josie doesn’t know that and it’s the last thing Cruz wants to do, but it’s just figuring out pushing each other’s boundaries and exploring all of that.

We see Cruz and Joe trying to figure out how to work Josie, and then Cruz really being the one to implement that.

DE OLIVEIRA: What a journey for Cruz. She’s just finished this mission, which she completed, and there’s so much guilt there. And I think, when I was exploring these scenes with Genesis, I felt that guilt all over again, making somebody do the exact thing that I didn’t wanna do at a much more intense level, because it’s your own family.

RODRIGUEZ: They all be manipulating Josie.

From the moment that Cruz comes back into the story, she seems focused on work, but she also feels like she’s in a different headspace, even if we, as the audience, don’t fully understand why that is. So, in order for you to understand where she was at this season, were you given those details on how she’s dealt with everything that’s happened? Did you know what she had gone through, or was that something that you worked out on your own?

DE OLIVEIRA: Because I know where the story goes, I’m able to put the pieces together and see what Cruz has been exploring. She’s had a total metamorphosis this season. She’s a completely different person than she was in the first season. She obviously experienced a lot of trauma in the first season, so what she’s trying to do is turn that pain into power to understand the dynamics of the geopolitical machine that she’s a part of. She’s trying to approach this season or this year of her life in a more intellectual way. She’s grown, so that’s what we explore in the new season. I think she will always carry that guilt, but at the end of the day, her country and protecting her country and that selflessness is her first priority. I think she’s trying to figure out, for herself, how she can do that in the best way possible.

Even if you haven’t seen the first season, when you see Cruz this season, you can just feel that she’s been through some shit. It feels very apparent.

DE OLIVEIRA: Yeah. There’s always this cloud over Cruz, especially after what she’s going through in the first season. But what I really like about Cruz is that, although she’s a badass and all that stuff, she’s also a quite sensitive soul and she loves love. I’m really excited for the audience to see that side of her as well.

The ‘Lioness’ Training Helps Genesis Rodriguez and Laysla De Oliveira Define Their Characters

With something like this, there’s the training that both of you guys need to go through to physically look believable playing these characters, but then there’s also the physicality of how you hold and carry yourself, and that changes throughout the season as things happen. Was that something you thought a lot about, just as your characters went on their journeys? Did you think about how their physicality would change and how their movement would change?

RODRIGUEZ: The physicality and the training that we had prior to the show really helped with telling the story. You see the person and how they handle themselves and you already know who they are without them ever speaking. And then, you see the little layers start to shed and you start seeing what’s inside. I’m happy that you were able to see and notice that there is a change within these characters’ physicality as well. The way that we hold ourselves starts to be a little different.

DE OLIVEIRA: I think walking is so important. It sounds silly, but with my approach with Cruz, Cruz is so different from Laysla. I really try, in every little way, even the way she walks, it’s just completely different from how I carry myself, so I just try to infuse that as much as possible.

I’ve been a dancer my whole life, so I watch fight scenes and movement from that perspective. It’s really interesting when that’s used as a tool, and it really is in this show.

DE OLIVEIRA: The dancing that you brought up is a really great skill to have when you’re learning hand-to-hand combat. I used to dance a little bit too, but I’m clumsy as can be, so I really leaned into learning the choreography. I think that’s super helpful.

Genesis Rodriguez Reveals Why Josie Is Able To Connect to Cruz in ‘Lioness’ Season 2

There’s the question of whether or not Josie can be trusted. At the same time, I would imagine she’s feeling very vulnerable because she’s had all of these things put on her at once. What does Josie get from Cruz that she doesn’t get from Joe? Is there something that feels empowering to her, to have someone like Cruz there?

RODRIGUEZ: I think Cruz is the first person who talks to her like a human that has to do the most terrifying thing, ever, and it really connects with her in that way. Whereas when Joe speaks to her, it’s expected of her because she gave her life to her country. That is the reason why she’s so resistant. She’s given her entire life to her country and what they’re asking her is not an easy ask. And so, the way that Cruz goes about it is by really just humanizing and connecting with her. That’s really the only way that you go at it. This is someone experienced, who was a captain in the Army. This is someone that tells people what to do. She’s done her time. She’s gone up the ladder. She’s powerful in her own way. So, being resistant and strong with her was not the way. Her call sign is Thunder. You hear her from a mile away. That’s not the way to get to her heart or her mind.

Laysla, how does Cruz feel about other women being put in the same position that she was?

DE OLIVEIRA: That’s a great question. There’s a struggle there because I think she really understands what Josie is going through. But at the same time, the stakes are so high. The mission is close to home. The crux of the whole show is how these people put aside their own personal traumas and how they are selfless to protect the country and to fight for the country. Cruz’s biggest love will always be her country. And now the mission is closer to home, so sacrifices have to be made.

Cruz is a level of realistic about things that makes her terrifying. What is it like to play someone like Cruz, who doesn’t pull any punches? And what is it like to be on the receiving end of that? It seems like Cruz might be challenging to be friends with.

DE OLIVEIRA: Playing it is incredible. I love playing people who are the most different from me. The role I played before this was an evil lady to children. I love roles that are unapologetic and different. In terms of, what’s it like being friends with Cruz? I don’t think she has that many friends. But hopefully, maybe people can see that it’s really a selfless part of her. She’s really just trying to do her job in the best way possible.

Genesis, would Josie prefer to have Cruz sugarcoat things a little bit?

DE OLIVEIRA: I feel like nobody sugarcoats anything with her, ever, this entire show. Except Cruz does it in subtle ways with Josie. There are moments that she sugarcoats it with her, but there are moments where she’s straight up. I feel like that’s how she gains her trust. Nobody’s telling her anything. Nobody. Joe is not preparing her for what she has to do. She’s in the dark, the whole entire time. And then, there’s this one person, Cruz, that’s connecting with her and giving it to her straight. She probably feels the honesty is refreshing, coming from her, and it’s actually working.

DE OLIVEIRA: Maybe Cruz’s approach is what she wished the approach would have been with her.

RODRIGUEZ: Exactly. That’s a great point.

DE OLIVEIRA: It’s that thing when you become almost the parent and you’re like, “Okay, what can I do different?” But you’re always gonna traumatize your kid, no matter what.

Genesis, this is all very personal for Josie. Not only is all of this about her family, but it’s also opened her eyes to who her family really is. The moment when Josie is really trying to tell her father that the CIA knows about him, who he is and what he does, it’s so hard to watch. He slaps her twice before raising a fist to her. How hard was it to shoot that? How do you get through shooting something like that?

RODRIGUEZ: We shot that in one day. When I read those scenes, I thought, “Woah, this is gonna be a tough day.” But I love what (director) Stephen Kay had said, which was the approach of not backing down and just being very honest and telling him. Truthfully, there’s no way to prepare for those kinds of things. You just go there and be a little vessel and be present, and hope that it goes even just a semblance of how you plan it. That was a fun day of shooting.

DE OLIVEIRA: I loved it. I was like, “Cruz mode, let’s go!” I was chomping at the bit to get into Cruz mode. It’s so devastating to see what her father does to her, and I think it really hits home with Cruz. It’s a special moment for Cruz because she gets to protect Josie from something that she’s gone through her whole life and has run away from. It’s part of the reason why she joined the military, so it’s a special moment when Cruz comes in.

According to Laysla De Oliveira and Genesis Rodriguez, the Ends Justify the Means When You’re a Lioness

We hear the question brought up about, do the ends justify the means, which seems like it would be an ongoing question in this line of work. How do you think your characters each feel about that, by the end of this season? Do you think they come away from the season feeling like the ends justify the means?

DE OLIVEIRA: That’s a great question. Yeah, I think so. There will probably always be days when you will question that in this line of work. With this line of work, the lines can always be blurred. Do she think that? Ultimately, probably yes. But do I think she’ll think that for the rest of her life? I don’t know. That depends. As Cruz evolves and her views evolve, we’ll see how she continues to be part of this whole thing.

RODRIGUEZ: For someone who’s dedicated their life to serving their country, I do think there is a higher purpose and an intention in their lives. That purpose of protecting and defending this country and serving the country is just a different type of person that’s willing to sacrifice a lot. So, I do think, for her, yes, that’s the type of person that she is. She’s made of that fabric that’s willing to put others before her.

Lioness is available to stream on Paramount+. Check out the trailer:

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