Zoe Saldaña Says She’s Not Ready to Join Another Taylor Sheridan Show for This Reason (Exclusive)

“We’ve seen various stories of men like Joe,” she said, adding that Nicole Kidman’s Kaitlyn Meade, Kelly’s Byron Westfield and Thad Luckinbill’s Kyle McManus similarly could have been played by actors of another gender.

“When you write something so incredible that it kind of defies gender and race, and it’s just about the merit of that human being, I feel like you give yourself the opportunity of a wider range of actors that can come in and sort of vie for that part,” Saldaña said.

“I have a great deal of respect for men that really know how to write women,” she added. “I’m happy to say that, after playing one of his female characters for three seasons, I’m incredibly honored that he wrote Joe as a woman.”

That respect extends to Sheridan’s approach on set. Saldaña previously told PEOPLE that working directly with the Yellowstone creator has shown her how deeply invested he is in actors and their performances.

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“When you work with him is when you realize how passionate he is about actors and about acting,” she said. “I think it is his first love when it comes to the arts.”

Though Saldaña said Sheridan “does raise the bar,” that appears to be exactly what she wants from the man behind Joe — even if one Sheridan series is enough for now. “I like being challenged,” she previously told PEOPLE. “I really do.”

Lioness is streaming on Paramount+.