Lioness Season 3 has taken Cruz in some fascinating new directions.
After being introduced on Lioness Season 1 as a young woman trying to find her place within the Lioness program, Cruz has grown considerably, and Laysla De Oliveira believes the character is beginning to understand the world around her in a very different way.
“I think the biggest difference for Cruz between Season 1 and 3 is that she understands the system a little bit more,” De Oliveira told TV Fanatic.
“She is not so sporadic, and I think Cruz really saw things as black and white, and she just understands the gray a little bit more.”
Cruz’s relationship with Joe has also evolved considerably since the first season, and De Oliveira believes their connection has reached a point where they are now much more aligned than they were when they first met.
“Her relationship with Joe has certainly evolved. You see that there’s love and care there, especially with the line, ‘she made me,'” she said.
“And so I think Cruz is becoming just more of an adult, and also, perhaps, maybe a super spy, and evolving into, I think, what her calling has potentially always been.”
That evolution has been particularly apparent throughout Lioness Season 3, as Cruz has found herself navigating both the emotional and physical demands of the job.
One of the season’s most beautiful moments came during Lioness Season 3 Episode 6, when Bobby could see that Cruz was too emotional for what lay ahead on their mission to save Joe.
For De Oliveira, that moment was a chance to show just how deeply Cruz’s feelings for Joe run.
“I think in that moment, Cruz is realizing, or she’s already realized it with Joe being gone, but she’s expressing it for the first time, how deep her feelings are for Joe,” she explained.
“Joe brought her into the Lioness program, and as challenging as that was that first season, it gave Cruz purpose in life and family. And not only that, Joe risked everything to save her and Josie’s lives at the end of Season 2.”
Cruz has a softness that can be overlooked amid the show’s relentless action, but De Oliveira believes that side is central to understanding who Cruz really is.
“The thing about Cruz, and Taylor [Sheridan] says this, is she is a wild cat with a heart of gold,” De Oliveira said. “And I think in that moment, we truly see, regardless of the pain that she’s been through, that it’s really about her heart.”
“And Cruz is a lover, and she does love Joe, and she does love the team, and I think, ultimately, she does really want to be there, and so that’s what that moment is.”
That love for Joe becomes even more important as the season progresses, particularly when Cruz becomes a major part of the mission to save her mentor.
De Oliveira has nothing but praise for the dynamic she shares with Zoe Saldaña, who plays Joe, and hopes for more opportunities to explore their relationship.
“I love every scene that Cruz and Joe have together. I feel like Zoe and I have really great chemistry, and I hope that we get to explore that a little bit more,” she said.
Cruz and Joe’s relationship now has a clear symmetry. Joe saved Cruz at the end of Lioness Season 2, and Cruz helps save Joe in Season 3.
“I think it’s that thing, right? Joe saved her at the end of Season 2, and now Cruz helps save Joe, so they’re constantly having each other’s back,” De Oliveira said.
“And I think that’s what makes the team so strong, is that there’s that family bond there, and that depth of life, and being there for each other, and working together, and knowing what those sacrifices are.”
“It all comes from a place of love and greater knowing and having the same objectives.”
That shared understanding is a significant change from where Cruz and Joe stood earlier in the series.
“To your question earlier, the difference between Season 1 and 3 is that I would say that Cruz and Joe, at this moment, are definitely more aligned,” De Oliveira said. “And more of a reflection of each other. There’s more understanding there.”
“They probably feel the same. Joe feels like she owes Cruz, and Cruz feels like she owes Joe, but it’s something that’s said in the season a lot.”
De Oliveira points to the constantly changing relationships at the heart of Lioness as one of the show’s most compelling qualities.
“I think even with Cody, Cruz says that in Season 2, and he’s tortured her in Season 1, so I think that’s the beautiful thing about the show, is that it is constantly evolving,” she said.
“People’s feelings change, opinions change, and that’s just a reflection of being human. You could be feeling a certain way, but who’s to say that if we have more, an event happens and you feel a different way? That’s life. You’re constantly changing how you see things, how you feel.”
“That’s a beautiful thing about growth, I think, as well.”
Cruz’s personal life has also allowed De Oliveira to explore a different side of the character this season through her relationship with Josie, played by Genesis Rodriguez.
“I love Genesis, so whenever we get to work together, it’s always a gift, and really fun for me,” De Oliveira dished.
“I love doing these high-octane action sequences, but I also really love when we get to explore intimate moments as well.”
“I think intimate moments are what make us all human, and so I’m always thrilled when I get to see a little bit more of Cruz’s home life, because I feel like that is what really makes her a well-rounded individual.”
“And I also hope, if we do get another season, I hope we get to see a little bit more of that.”
While Cruz’s emotional journey has been rewarding for De Oliveira, Lioness Season 3 also presented a considerable logistical challenge for the actor.
The season’s dual timelines meant the cast filmed scenes out of order, making it particularly difficult to keep track of where each moment fell in the story.
“I had to read the script several times, and even still, before talking to you guys, I have to watch what we’ve done, because it gets all confused in my head, the order of the things, what scenes belong to which episode.”
She credits the crew with helping everyone keep track of the complicated timeline.
“I feel really indebted to our script supervisor, who gave me her homework, the timeline, the notes of all the timeline, and also to our wardrobe team, because that was really telling of the timeline we were in.”
“We got to follow the wardrobe. It really takes a village.”
There was even one memorable moment when the cast realized just how easy it was to lose track of which timeline they were actually filming.
“I do remember doing a scene; it might have been earlier in the season. It was Jonah [Wharton] and I, and we all thought we were in one timeline, and we’re in a completely different timeline,” she recalled.
“So we were also trying to hold on as tight as we can, but it was more confusing for us because we shot out of order. So we really leaned on the crew as much as we could.”
As for what viewers can expect from the Lioness Season 3 finale, De Oliveira is keeping things close to the vest.
“The thing that I can tease is, it’ll be exciting,” she said.
“And I think it’ll be worth the wait.”
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