Cruz actress addresses replacing Joe, as people think Zoe Saldana is really leaving Lioness

Since season three has started putting more focus on how much Cruz Manuelos has grown since she first joined the Lioness programme, people have been wondering if Zoe Saldana could eventually leave the show as Joe McNamara.

The TV show follows Joe, the CIA operative at the centre of the Lioness programme, as she recruits and trains women for dangerous undercover missions. One of the biggest relationships in the show has been between Joe and Cruz Manuelos, with Joe taking Cruz under her wing and helping turn her into a highly capable operative.

And now that Cruz is becoming more and more like her mentor, Laysla De Oliveira has suggested that her character could be heading towards a much bigger role.

So, is Zoe Saldana actually leaving Lioness?

Speaking to MovieWeb, Laysla was asked about the possibility of Cruz eventually replacing Joe. She said, “I think she’s incredibly smart. Taylor [Sheridan] described her, and I agree with him completely, ‘She’s a wild cat with a heart of gold.’”

She added, “And so seeing how she approaches a higher position of authority with those dynamics is really interesting. It certainly seems like it’s heading in that direction. I think she will be surprised when she finds herself there.”

What’s the relationship between Joe and Cruz?

Laysla also spoke about how Cruz is finally starting to understand just how much Joe has changed her. She explained, “I think Cruz has been feeling like this for a long time. So I feel like it’s really special that she was able to vocalise that. And that the audience is able to see her true feelings.”

She also said, “I think Joe has always seen Cruz as a mini her, whether she likes to admit it or not. But I think that in that moment, Cruz is also really realising that she is also Joe. And that they’re interconnected and that they’re family and that Joe gave her purpose.”

Lioness hasn’t yet been renewed for season four, and there has been no confirmation that Zoe Saldana is leaving the show. But the series is definitely giving Cruz a path towards becoming the next version of Joe.

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