Genesis Rodriguez on Being the New ‘Lioness’ & How Josie Compares to Cruz

There’s a new woman in the lead on Lioness. The first two episodes of the Taylor Sheridan drama premiered on Sunday (October 27), concluding with Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña) onboarding a new recruit — Genesis Rodriguez‘s Captain Josie Carrillo — in her signature way, by checking for tattoos. 

Josie has been chosen for the program because she’s the niece of Alvaro Carrillo, the leader of the Los Tigres Cartel in Mexico, which has been linked to the abduction of a U.S. congresswoman. Though Josie has distinguished herself with her service to the United States, Joe seems to have some questions about her true loyalty to it.

So what can we expect from this new Lioness? TV Insider caught up with Genesis Rodriguez to find out!

So how does it feel to be the new Lioness?

Genesis Rodriguez: I love being a part of this show. I am such a fan of Season 1. I’m just so honored I could be a part of season two. I’m so happy to be able to play Captain Josie Carrillo. And it’s been the role of my life for sure. It’s life life-changing part

What do you think is her number one characteristic?

Oh, you could hear her from a mile away. She is fierce, and there is just so much strength to her that I didn’t even know I had. So it was really, really nice to be able to find that within myself and lend that to the character as well. I really enjoyed the process of seeing how far I could push myself. So, I’m, I’m extremely proud of this character and what we got to do on Season 2.

How would you compare and contrast her to Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) from Season 1, who left the program after her mission? 

I mean, it’s just a totally different person. Cruz, as we know from Season 1, she came from a hard upbringing. Josie has served — she’s a captain — for a long time, and she comes from a different set of upbringings. And it’s wonderful that this show is able to show all these different women in the military and their different personalities. I think it’s great to be able to see versatility and it’s the truth, it’s people, it’s authentic. 

Obviously, you joined a team that was already together in Season 1. How did those guys welcome you into the crew? 

Oh, my goodness. So it’s so great that for me, I love these people to genuinely enjoy their company and we hung out like every weekend. Truly. And I think that you can see that on screen. It’s that chemistry. It’s that thing that you can really see, “Oh, wow, this is like a family bond thing, and it really shows.” So I was, of course, you’re the new kid on the block. That could be a little nerve-wracking and I just happened to fall into the greatest group, the greatest cast, the most fun. So I’m very lucky.

Paramount+

Joe doesn’t necessarily trust Josie right away, demanding she say she loves her country. What can we expect from those two characters together?

It’s a wonderful dynamic that me and Zoe had. I’ve admired Zoe for so many years that to be able to share the scenes, the screen with her any time and you know, they say never to meet your idols. But let me tell you, I love her so much. She was my idol, and I love her so much more now because of the way that she is off-screen, she’s a generous human being and then she’s like that in the scene as well. So again, you can’t replicate that kind of chemistry. And as far as the season, the greatest thing about Taylor Sheridan is the plot twists and what we don’t know. So you really have to just tune in and see what happens in this season because you will not expect what is coming at you.

Lioness, Sundays, Paramount+