Cruz Manuelos is back – and she’s coming face-to-face with a fellow Lioness. After Laysla De Oliveira’s Cruz made her return to Lioness on the Nov. 10 episode of the Paramount+ drama, she and Genesis Rodriguez, who plays newcomer Josie Carrillo, opened up to PopCulture.com about the interesting dynamic fans can expect from the two operatives moving forward.
Having been involuntarily recruited by Joe (Zoe Saldaรฑa) to serve as backup for Josie, Cruz’s surprising return offered fans a look at where the rough-around-the-edges Marine is today, having successfully accomplished her mission to help bring down a terrorist organization at the end of Season 1.
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“I’m so excited to be back. I’m so excited that I have the opportunity to do this again,” De Oliveira told PopCulture. “I love the show so much and I love my Lioness family so much.” After Cruz’s mission came to an end in Season 1, there’s “a lot of guilt” the operative is still dealing with, and De Oliveira teased that in the remainder of Season 2, “we’re really going to explore her mental state, how she deals with being a guide to Josie while she’s still experiencing that guilt.”
Rodriguez teased that for Josie, who has found herself “alienated” from the group and under the suspicion of Joe, Cruz becomes an important part of her journey. “I think it’s the first time where Josie feels like somebody is talking to her like a human,” she told PopCulture. “Of course, with her experience being a Lioness, it comes with that perspective of someone understanding what she’s having to do.”
Rodriguez also teased the upcoming Season 2 finale, which premieres on Dec. 8, saying, “This finale is some TV that’s never been done before – and I mean it when I say it. It is incredible. So hold on tight because there’s a lot more action to come.”
De Oliveira and Rodriguez also gave fans insight into the physical preparations they underwent before filming Season 2, training with ex-Navy SEAL turned celebrity trainer Duffy Gaver for months before shooting began. Rodriguez also underwent helicopter pilot training to inform her role as Josie, and the cast came together for “tactical training” boot camp at series creator Taylor Sheridan’s ranch.
“I think with just this job in particular and because the show is so raw and real, it is such a cool opportunity to be able to do these things for real so that we can give the audience the most realistic story possible,” De Oliveira said.
Working with Sheridan behind the scenes is “electrifying,” the actress added, noting that because the Oscar-nominee “moves quick,” you’ve got to be “10 toes down to the ground” to keep up. “I think he operates on a different plane,” she praised.
Lioness debuts new episodes weekly on Sundays on Paramount+.
