Toronto’s own Laysla De Oliveira is back on our TV screens for another season of breakout spy thriller series Lioness. Written by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, De Oliveira says of the show that we can expect a totally different new season, calling it, “raw, explosive, intense and personal.” Releasing once a week on Sundays on Paramount+, fans are excitedly waiting for the season finale on Sept. 20. We asked the onscreen CIA operative about what to expect and chatted with her about her Canadian upbringing.
You’ve now been working with Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña for three seasons. Has the star power worn off?
We’re definitely moving more as a machine now; we all know each other and there’s that comfort. But at the same time, it’s them. So they’re always going to have that aura. At the premiere, when Nicole was holding my hand, it was still pretty incredible!
Your character deals with both intense physical challenges and mental ones. Do you tackle them differently?
They’re both challenging in different ways, and you explore endurance in different ways. You know, the physical, you just do the work, you show up and you trust that they’re going to make you look cool. Those days are hard, especially when me and Zoe were in the trenches [in the show]. But I feel like my character Cruz’s relationship with Joe [Saldaña] is the crux of her whole arc. So the emotional stuff, for me, that is the stuff that I love. So I always tackle it with a full heart and gratitude that I get to do that and just try to dive in as deep as possible.
FAST FACTS
Name: Laysla De Oliveira
Graduated: Rosedale Heights School of the Arts
Favourite spots in the city: Terroni (“The Toronto one is just better!”), 416 Snack Bar, Osteria Giulia
What made her want to act: Watching telenovelas with her mom and Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich
Have you noticed any overlap between you and Cruz over time?
It is really challenging to play someone who is that depressed every single day. I think, when you’re done working, you take some of that with you, and that was quite challenging for me because it was also my first experience with that. So what I’ve had to navigate is learning a lot about endurance, physical and emotional endurance, and learning things that I have to do on set to protect myself. This season, it’s been easier for me to take the Cruz jacket off and be Laysla. The thing I’ve kept with me from Cruz is the haircut! That’s not going anywhere.
How did growing up in Canada influence your career as an actor?
We get a lot of exposure to Hollywood, being in Canada, so I feel so lucky to have grown up here. But what excites me the most now is seeing local talent, fresh young faces on shows shooting here in Toronto, like Testaments and Wayward. Everyone’s so great on those shows, and I’m recognizing some girlies who haven’t even made the move to America. And they don’t have to because there are so many opportunities now. Canada has a pretty good rep of having great artists like Rachel McAdams. I just love being a part of that legacy.
Without spoiling anything — does the end of this season leave things open for another season?
Oh, it’s the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers. You will be at the edge of your seat.
