Taylor Sheridan’s wild on-set demand revealed by ‘Lioness’ star Jill Wagner: ‘He forces you to run into fire’

Taylor Sheridan demanded Jill Wagner relearn a “Lioness” scene with her non-dominant hand, mere minutes before filming.

The actress, 47, opened up to People on Monday about the director, 56, forcing cast members “to run into fire.”

The former “Wipeout” host recalled, “There was one day that [my co-star] Laysla [De Oliveira] and I were trying to get this entrance into the house. [Her character],Cruz, and [my character], Bobby, have to come in and clear the room, and we were having difficulties with some of the angles.”

“Lioness” star Jill Wagner called out Taylor Sheridan for a difficult on-set demand on Monday. Lauren Smith/Paramount+
She said the director (pictured above in May 2025) had her relearn a scene with her non-dominant hand 10 minutes before shooting. Getty Images

As a result, Sheridan requested Wagner “switch arms” and “transition [her] weapon to [her] left arm.”

She remembered, “I was just like, ‘Hmm … OK. Help me.’ Ultimately, we worked it out, and it’s probably going to be one of my favorite moments.”

De Oliveira, 34, chimed in to say this is one of “the coolest thing[s] about working with” the “Sons of Anarchy” alum.

The actress (pictured above on March 10) had to “switch arms” and “transition [her] weapon to [her] left arm.” Variety via Getty Images
“He forces you to run into the fire,” Wagner said of the Paramount+ show’s creator (pictured above in March 2025.) Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages for Paramont+ / Shutterstock

“He can change things on the spot,” she explained. “You have to have your head on a swivel and be able to do that. Once you go through that experience, you really leave the set thinking, ‘Wow, I can do anything.’”

Clarifying that Sheridan changes his direction, not the script, De Oliveira added, “If you can pick that up, then you go onto another set and think, ‘Well, this one time I did everything with my left hand even though I’m right-handed.’ So it’s a great opportunity for us.”

Sheridan’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Wagner also chatted with TV Insider over the weekend about working with Sheridan, whom she praised for remembering everything and layering it into his scripts.

The moment was ultimately one of Wagner’s “favorite” ones from the series. Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Her co-star chimed in to say Sheridan (pictured above in December 2017) changes things “on the spot.” Getty Images

“You’ll just have a conversation with him, and you’ll think it’s a bunch of meaningless stuff, or you’re having a whiskey with him, and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, nobody’s going to remember any of this,’” she noted on Sunday. “That’s not true.”

Sheridan, according to Wagner, often jokes, “Don’t tell me anything.”

She added, “He understands, as a person, bringing in parts of the actor naturally into the character, which I think is pretty cool, and not a lot of writers do that.”

“Lioness” premiered on Paramount+ in 2023, with Season 3 launching last month.

Thanks to Sheridan (pictured above on June 30), Laysla De Oliveira now feels like she “can do anything.” Getty Images for SiriusXM
“Lioness” premiered in 2023, with Season 3 streaming last month. (Pictured above: Wagner, Zoe Saldaña and Laysla De Oliveira.) Lauren “Lo” Smith/Paramount+

The show stars Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña, with the latter recently describing the “challenge” of working with Sheridan.

“He does raise the bar,” the Oscar winner, 48, told People in August. “And you have one of two choices. You either accept the challenge and make sure that you don’t f— up… or you quit.”

Sheridan’s other series include “Yellowstone,” its “Dutton Ranch” spinoff, “Landman” and more.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *