How Jill Wagner Got a Role Tailored by Taylor Sheridan in ‘Lioness’ EP and Talks About the Tough Journey

Jill Wagner plays a significant role in shaping Taylor Sheridan’s military drama series, Lioness, which features a female-led cast. In addition to acting as Bobby, who leads Zoe Saldaña’s team in the series on Paramount+, Wagner was instrumental in presenting the show concept to Sheridan. The idea for Lioness took root on Wagner’s farm in East Tennessee during discussions with her husband, Major David Lemanowicz, who is also an executive producer on the show. Wagner, feeling boxed in by her acting career, aimed to demonstrate her versatility and creativity through this project.

Despite never having served in the military, Wagner expressed to her husband her long-standing desire to portray a military character. With a family history tied to the military and Lemanowicz’s service, Wagner held a profound admiration for the armed forces. Reflecting on her life, Wagner shared her wish that she had joined the military, emphasizing her aspiration to honor those who have served by portraying military personnel on screen through storytelling.

Having heard captivating stories from Lemanowicz about remarkable women he encountered during his service, including the real-life Lionesses, Wagner found inspiration for the series. Collaborating with Lemanowicz, Wagner crafted a brief treatment before recognizing Sheridan as the ideal person to bring their shared vision to life on screen. Recalling Sheridan as her former acting coach, Wagner believed he was the perfect storyteller for the project. Sheridan embraced the idea enthusiastically and, spurred on by Wagner, crafted a role specifically for her in the series. Wagner was determined to showcase her action skills in the show, expressing her desire to someday tell her daughters about her post-40 accomplishments.

Sheridan knew Wagner’s capabilities. “He told me: ‘I’m going to write you a part and it’s going to be different from anything that you’ve played before. You’re going to have to completely transform yourself.’” Wagner accepted the challenge of playing Bobby, the muscled, short-haired QRF operator, whole-heartedly, but as a former Hallmark leading lady, she knew it was a career risk. “I was so afraid that people weren’t going to understand it, but I also knew I had to do it,” said Wagner.

Wagner spoke to DECIDER via Zoom to discuss the series, her first Hollywood encounter with Saldaña, and what a potential Season 3 could look like.

DECIDER: I knew you were an EP, but I was surprised to learn that Lioness wouldn’t exist without you. Can you talk about bringing idea for the series to Taylor Sheridan?

JILL WAGNER: First and foremost, I give Taylor all the credit. He is the mastermind behind the universe that is Lioness. The initial idea came to me and my husband one night while we were on our farm in East Tennessee. There was a bonfire involved. There was a bottle of whiskey involved. I was talking to him about how I felt like I was at a point in my career at which Hollywood saw me a one trick pony. I love doing my family friendly movies, but I knew I had more to give.

He asked me if there was something I’ve always wanted to do. I told him that I’ve always wanted to play someone in the military. I come from a military family. My husband is in the military. I’ve always grown up with a great deal of respect for military men and women. If I really have one regret in my life—and I’ve done a lot of bad stuff— it’s that I never joined the military. If I could play a member of the military on screen, I felt that could honor those who serve by telling their stories. In a way, Lioness is a love letter to them.

So, my husband said, “Well, why don’t you create something?” Hours and several whiskeys later, my husband—who was in military intelligence—was telling me about all the impressive females he worked alongside. He told me about the Lioness program. From the second I heard about these women, I knew there was something there. So, we wrote a little treatment.

So how did Taylor Sheridan get involved?

Taylor is my old acting coach. I got in touch with him and said: “I have something that I think is really special. It’s a military story from a female perspective, and it’s a story that deserves to be told.” In my mind, Taylor was the only person who could tell that story.

I have to ask: what was Taylor Sheridan like as an acting coach?

He’s super talented at everything that he does. I remember he was writing Sicario back then. I asked him “What are you doing over there?” He replied: “I’m writing this thing, and it’s going to win an Oscar.” I was like, “Yeah, okay. Let’s get back to my audition here.” [Laughs] He was great as an acting coach. He’s great as an actor. He’s great as a writer. He’s great as a director. He’s great.

He is so well-rounded. He knows how to do so much, and he knows a lot about a lot of things. I honestly think that Taylor wasn’t put in my life just to be my acting coach. He was put in my life for this moment that I am living right now, which is bringing the Lioness story to life with him. It’s been an honor to work alongside him and to learn from him.

The Lioness QRF team is full of eccentric and lethal characters, but Bobby stands out. How much input did you have in the creation of your character?

He told me I didn’t have any input [laughs]. I went to visit him on his ranch in Utah before he moved to Texas. We were sitting there and talking about everything. I was like, “Look, I don’t care what you do, but you got to give me a part.” It felt like I had done myself a disservice by not giving myself a part in the show. It was like nepotism at its finest. He picked every single person on that show except for me [laughs]. I forced myself in there. Sorry, that was just the deal!

About my character, I told him: “She doesn’t have to do much. She doesn’t even have to have any lines. She can just come in and just kill the bad guys.” I wanted to be able to tell my daughters one day that this is what mom did, post 40. He told me: “I’m going to write you a part, and it’s going to be so different from anything that you’ve ever played before. You’re going to have to completely transform yourself.”

I was excited and scared to death all at the same time. I knew physically I was going to have to make that big transformation. I was afraid because my bread and butter is family friendly movies. That’s what I am known for, so this was a big jump for me. I was so afraid that people were not going to understand it, but I also knew I had to do it. I had to represent the women in our military whom I so respect. I had to give it 110% or else I would hate myself.

It’s clear that Joe depends on Bobby, and it’s a joy to watch the dynamic that you and Zoe Saldana bring to the screen. How has the on and off screen relationship between the two of you evolved between Seasons 1 and 2?

I have such a unique story about how I met Zoe. Back in the day, I had a small role in the Ashton Kutcher movie Guess Who. I think the character was “girl at the train station,” and it eventually got cut. However, I did get to do the table read for the movie. Zoe was the first movie star I met in Hollywood. I was so nervous. She walked in the room and shook everyone’s hand. She greeted every single person with a smile and said, “nice to meet you.” It was a watershed moment for me as an actor and as a woman in the business. She owned that space. She was kind. She was strong. She was everything that I wanted to be.

It feels full circle to have her star in a project that I helped create. She is great off screen. She is phenomenal on screen. After we filmed one scene this season, I looked at her and said, “you’re going to win an Emmy.” She’s owns Joe this season. It’s been really amazing for me as an actor to watch and learn from her. It’s an honor that she’s on the show.

The QRF team is one of my favorite elements of the show. What’s it like creating that bond with James Jordan, LaMonica Garrett, Austin Hebert and Jonah Wharton?

We had an immediate connection. We were in Baltimore the first time I met everybody, and I invited them all out for dinner and drinks. All of us are so very different, but somehow, we all mesh together very well. Taylor must have known we would click. They’re like my real brothers. I was raised primarily by my dad and my brother. So working with them is like being home for me.

I know the cast of Yellowstone had to go to cowboy camp, but did the cast of Lioness have to go through a similar experience with military training?

Yes, we had an operator camp. As an actor, Taylor wants you to have all the tools necessary to perform, and he’s willing to give you those tools if you’re willing to learn. We went to Texas and Baltimore to work with some operators. It takes these people years to know exactly what they’re doing. We’re just trying to make it believable on screen [laughs]. You don’t want to have your Delta friends call you and ask, “God, like, what are you doing?” I’m just in the background thinking, “don’t do anything stupid, Jill.”

In Episode 7, Bobby immediately clocks that Cruz and Josie are having a moment as the team enters Cruz’s home. Why doesn’t she judge or scold them for mixing emotions with the mission?

You’ve got to let adults be adults, right? Cruz might have messed up a little bit in her first mission, but Bobby has a respect for Cruz because she has proven herself. Bobby doesn’t work off words; she works off of actions. She knows Cruz isn’t going to get them killed, so whatever Cruz is doing in her private life is her business.

Max Martini joined Season 2 as Tracer, and it’s revealed that he and Bobby used to date. Did you and Taylor have any conversations about Bobby’s personal life?

I don’t know what Bobby’s sex life is like, and I don’t want to know. I’ve told Taylor, “We just need to see Bobby kill the bad guys.” However, I like the fact that he is showing the audience a different side of her when she used to date guys.

Bobby’s also very funny.

Yes! This season, Taylor is leaning a little bit into a comedic tone, which I love. There needs to be a lightness to scenes with the QRF because our show is so heavy. The scenes when the team isn’t directly involved in the mission tend to bring in some levity for balance.

The Lioness and QRF team complete the mission, but get a good wallop in the Season 2 finale. What can you tease for a potential Season 3?

I wish I could even give you a tease [laughs]. I was actually just with Taylor. He has so many different ideas going in so many different directions. The best part about this show is that there are endless possibilities as to where the story could go, and they’re all very plausible. I’m just as excited as everybody else to hear what Taylor has in store.