Zoe Saldana reveals choice Taylor Sheridan presents his cast... after Ed Harris blasted Yellowstone creator

Taylor Sheridan's cast must rise to the occasion when they work on his shows, according to Zoe Saldana.

The actress, 48, has been working with Sheridan, 56, for three years on their hit spy thriller series Lioness, which is now returning for a third season. 

But Saldana can't rest on her laurels when working with Sheridan.  

Lioness creator Sheridan, who also writes, directs, and acts in the series, presents his actors with a bit of a choice when they begin working with him, Saldana has revealed. 

'So working with him is a challenge in the sense that he does raise the bar,' she told People. 

'And you have one of two choices. You either accept the challenge and make sure that you don’t f--k up... or you quit.'

But Saldana is up for the challenge: 'And I like being challenged. I really do.'

Demanding atmosphere aside, Saldana said Sheridan still provides a 'collaborative' working environment.  

'When he knows that you care, when he knows where you’re coming from, when you know exactly what it is that you want to talk about, he meets you where you’re at,' she continued. 'He’s very collaborative.'

'And I love collaborating with Taylor because I love his mind. I like his art. I like his writing. And I like playing roles that feel wholesome,' she said. 

Lioness, which debuted in July 2023, also stars Nicole Kidman.

Inspired by a real U.S. military program, the show follows Joe (Saldana), a CIA officer who is in charge of Lioness officers in the field. 

The show follows her as she tries to balance her complex personal life with her professional life as the, 'tip of the CIA's spear in the war on terror.' 

Not everyone shares Saldana's appreciation for the Sheridan universe. 

Last month, Yellowstone star Ed Harris made headlines when he blasted Sheridan and claimed he had been misled about the significance of his role in the spinoff Dutton Ranch.

The 75-year-old actor revealed that in an initial briefing about the part, he was made to believe he was a main character.

But after he began filming season one, Harris recalled telling his handlers to 'get me the f*** out of here.'

'Prior to signing on for it, I was talked to quite a bit about what the season was, and what my character was going to do – and that I was one of the four main characters. And that wasn’t really the case,' he told Variety at the premiere of Apple TV's The Dink. 

On the series, Harris plays Everett McKinney, a good-humored veterinarian. Dutton Ranch aired its season one finale earlier this month, and Harris is slated to return for season two.

The star recounted about filming season one, 'I said, "I’m feeling underused and inconsequential," and they kind of went, "Oh."'

And he candidly noted, 'I'm being told my character will have a little bit more to do [in season 2]. I was just a little frustrated, to tell you the truth.'

Harris then went on to recall filming a scene in a bar only for it to ultimately be cut from the show, which 'pissed him off.'

He said: 'So there’s this scene in there… I’m talking to [Beth Dutton] at the bar, and [Rip Wheeler] comes in and says, "OK, Everett, come on, it's your turn."

'I walk up to the mic, and they cut it. They cut the song out. I’m going, "F*** you, people."'

Harris said production told him the bit was cut because it was 'too "up" for the dark ending of that episode.'

At the time, the longtime actor said he felt the incident was 'enough reason to say I am voiding my contract.' 

It's unclear if the star intends to exit the show.