Stephanie Nur reveals why she returned to Lioness season 3 finale after Aaliyah’s brutal exit

Stephanie Nur is back as Aaliyah Amrohi in Lioness, three years after her character was last seen on the Taylor Sheridan series, so here’s why she returned in season 3.

Aaliyah appeared in season 1 as the daughter of terrorist financier Asmar Ali Amrohi. Cruz Manuelos was sent undercover to get close to her, but the two women fell in love. The mission eventually ended with Cruz killing Aaliyah’s father and fiancé at her wedding. Aaliyah then disappeared from the series.

Now, in the final scene of Lioness season 3, she was revealed to be behind the attempt to abduct Joe McNamara.

So, why did Stephanie return to Lioness?

Stephanie told Entertainment Weekly that she got a message from Sheridan asking her to get on a call. She explained, “Honestly, because him and I have worked together before, and he’s known for having an ensemble of cast that he uses in different shows, I just assumed that he was calling me about a different show, because it had been three years.”

She added, “And then when he called me about coming back, I was floored. I screamed, and I had to apologise on the phone.”

Stephanie had not expected Aaliyah to return at all. Speaking to TV Insider, she explained, “When the story continues without you, you just assume that they’ve gone in a different direction, and that’s usually how shows go.”

She added, “I loved watching it. Taylor is such a great writer. All of those great lines that women can say… I loved watching where it all went and all of the directions.”

So when Sheridan called, she was surprised to learn that Aaliyah’s story was not finished after all.

After filming season 1, the actress said she started imagining what might have happened to the character following Cruz’s betrayal.

“After we finished [and] wrapped the first season, I was having dreams as Aaliyah in certain scenarios,” she said. “It stayed with me for sure, what betrayal does to a person, to erode at some kind of innocence that they’ve previously possessed.”

Stephanie said she had “always imagined what happened to her and what was the reaction in different scenarios.”

She also explained that she had been “having dreams as Aaliyah, of different scenarios and just things I was working out in my unconscious of her life and what happened.”

Aaliyah has changed quite a lot

When Aaliyah returns in the season 3 finale, she is very different from the woman viewers met in season 1. She is now working against Joe and the Lioness team.

Stephanie said, “It’s been a long time, so betrayal does something to somebody, and it can change a very innocent, naive person into somebody who has a thick skin and is very discerning.”

She continued, “One of the first things I do is I like to create walks for my characters; it’s just how you carry yourself in this world. She had a certain walk in the first season, and this time, when I got the call, I was like, all right, straight to work. Like, who is she?”

“Your walk changes when you’ve had life happen to you in that way,” she added.

Aaliyah only appears in the final scene of season 3, but Stephanie was happy with the way Sheridan brought her back. She said, “It was very cathartic. I do care about her, as a performer who, it’s such a big part for me, and it had such a big resonance with people.”

She added, “I was very attached to her, so I love that she gets to come back [this way]. It was just so poignant and powerful and important, and I was honoured to have her live that way.”

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