Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman make their demanding ‘Lioness‘ scenes look effortless. However, the cast puts in plenty of work before the cameras start rolling because Taylor Sheridan’s complex CIA scripts require more than simple memorization.
Kidman has now revealed the one thing she and Freeman “always” do before filming. Their routine helps them understand the complicated dialogue and deliver every line as it belongs in an everyday conversation.
Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman Always Run Lines Together
‘Lioness‘ features an all-star cast led by Zoe Saldaña, Kidman and Freeman. The high-stakes thriller requires its actors to understand every detail of Sheridan’s dialogue, so their preparation continues even when they are not filming.
Related: The True Story Behind Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Special Ops: Lioness’
“We have to understand every single thing we’re saying,” Kidman explained while discussing the “dense” scripts. “And that is a huge [undertaking].” She also said, “It has to come trippingly off your tongue. You have to understand everything, and it has to [seem like] something that you are using as everyday language all the time, which obviously we’re not.”
Kidman then revealed how she, Michael Kelly and Freeman prepare before filming their scenes. “[Michael Kelly] and I, and Morgan Freeman, we are just completely always working.” The actors frequently “run lines” together before each take, but memorizing the dialogue is only part of their process. “We also do, ‘What does that mean? Decipher it.’ Definition, definition, definition. So that we constantly understand what we’re talking about,” she added.
‘Lioness’ Season 3 Raises the Stakes for Joe
‘Lioness‘ returned for its third season, with Kidman playing CIA supervisor Kaitlyn Meade, Kelly as CIA Deputy Director of Operations Byron Westfield, and Freeman as Secretary of State Edwin Mullins. Saldaña leads the series as Joe McNamara, the CIA officer in charge of the undercover ‘Lioness‘ team.
In case you missed it: How Taylor Sheridan Turned a ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Rejection Into the ‘Yellowstone’ Empire
Season 3 places Joe under even greater pressure as danger begins to enter every area of her life. According to the official logline, Joe “walks the line between duty and home as unseen forces circle her world.” It continues, “Patterns appear where they shouldn’t, names vanish, and paths rearrange. Guided by Kaitlyn and Westfield, Joe confronts enemies operating in the shadows, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life.”
Kidman previously compared working on the series to “doing a thesis in the CIA.” She relies on additional help to understand the specialized terms inside Sheridan’s scripts. The actress said she has a team of people “that do my research on every single term that I’m using so that I know everything I’m talking about,” while Sheridan also conducts his own fact-checking.
“Taylor is so [relevant]— particularly with Lioness, and particularly season 3,” Kidman said of the 56-year-old creator. “It’s like, wow, it’s so topical, and you’re constantly treading in these minefields, and you’ve got to keep up, like, really keep up, because it’s really hard to follow.”
Running lines may sound like a normal part of an actor’s job, but Kidman’s explanation shows how far the ‘Lioness‘ cast goes to get every detail right. Their preparation becomes even more important in season 3 as Joe faces threats at work and at home.
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