Zoe Saldaña is all about empowering others.
Lioness returned this past weekend for season 2, starring Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. New cast member Genesis Rodriguez was also welcomed into the fold, making her debut as Captain Josephina Carrillo, or “Josie,” a toughened helicopter pilot with a mysterious past.
While Josie and Saldaña’s character, Joe, initially butt heads, the actresses share a friendly bond in real life. Part of that has to do with Saldana’s long held, deeply ingrained working philosophy.
“I make it my mission to just genuinely root for people,” Saldaña, 46, tells PEOPLE. “There is space for everyone to shine. And the level of support that I like to provide for my co-workers and my peers and my superiors, you do it. Because you know that if you do it, they’re going to pay it forward, and you will receive it in your times of most need.”
Rodriguez, for her part, admits she’s been a “fan” of Saldana’s for “so long.”
“One time we ran into each other … it’s not that she knew who I was at all — she recognized my dad,” says Rodriguez, 37, referring to singer José Luis Rodriguez. “They had a really sweet moment, and my dad was like, ‘And this is my daughter.’ He introduced me. And then after that, we had another meeting, and I was just like, ‘I hope I get to work with you one day. That’s a really big dream of mine.’ And we manifested that.”
Working on the show overall was something of a dream for Rodriguez, who previously appeared in The Umbrella Academy, Identity Thief and voiced Honey Lemon in Big Hero 6.
Some casts may seek solo time when the cameras stop rolling, but Rodriguez admits the Lioness costars spent a lot of time together. “What’s beautiful about this cast is that we hung out every weekend — every single weekend — and that’s unusual for any job,” the actress explains.
“Imagine going to work, you don’t want to see your coworkers. But here, I just wanted to be with them all the time like, ‘Where are we going? Are we going to the pool? Are we going to this barbecue?’” she continues. “It’s always nerve wracking to join a new group of people that you don’t know, but this really is the best cast and I got very lucky.”
In addition to Saldaña, Kidman, Freeman and Rodriguez, Lioness’ cast features Michael Kelly, Laysla De Oliveira, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, Jennifer Ehle, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Bruce McGill and Thad Luckinbill.
Saldaña, Kidman and Wagner also serve as executive producers, alongside creator Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, David Lemanowicz, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Friedman and Keith Cox.
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New episodes of Lioness drop Sundays on Paramount+.
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