Why Lioness Was 'One Of The Most Intimidating' Jobs Actor Michael Kelly Ever Took On

Despite having four Emmy nominations and decades of Hollywood experience under his belt, Michael Kelly felt out of his depth on the set of "Lioness" when he started playing Byron Westfield in Season 1.

Taylor Sheridan's TV shows commonly enlist award-winning actors, and "Lioness" features three stars who have been crowned at the Oscars. Zoe Saldaña, who leads the Paramount+ series as Joe McNamara, most recently joined the club in 2025 — two years after "Lioness" premiered. Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, on the other hand, took home their Academy Awards in the 2000s. In all three seasons of "Lioness," Kelly's Byron Westfield, the CIA's deputy director of operations, collaborates with Saldaña's senior case officer, Kidman's high-ranking CIA officer Kaitlyn Meade, and Freeman's Secretary of State Edwin Mullins to plan pivotal operations targeting terrorist threats.

In an interview with TV Insider, Kelly explained why working alongside so many high-caliber actors on "Lioness" initially spooked him. "In the beginning, it had to be one of the most intimidating things I've ever done because I'm sitting at a table with, at the time, two Academy Award winners, now three Academy Award winners, and it's intimidating as all get-out," he said. "And now it's just, it can be intimidating, but it's fun. You're doing it with the best of the best, and just to try to hang with those guys. It's everything. As an actor, you're just like, 'Wow, I'm truly doing it with the best there is,' and that's all you ask for, man."

Kelly has expressed on many occasions how much he values his time on "Lioness" and how much he loves sharing the screen with Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, and other acclaimed actors. His role as Byron on "Lioness" was also a wish fulfilled, as Kelly had wanted to work with Taylor Sheridan since auditioning for the 2021 Angelina Jolie-led film "Those Who Wish Me Dead."

During an interview with Collider, Kelly spoke on the high-effort environment of "Lioness," stressing that the commitment from him and his castmates helps the series be at its best. "Everybody's just so tuned in, and everyone brings 110% at all times," he said. "Nobody's phoning s*** in on this show, and it shows. I think that's why it's such a great show. I am proud to be a part of this show."

Paramount+ hasn't greenlit "Lioness" Season 4 as of now, but in the meantime, Kelly is getting to work on his second Sheridan-created show. Joining the cast of "Landman" Season 3, Kelly will play William Crockett, the wealthy head of an oil management firm.