Taylor Sheridan once again had audiences on the edge of their seats with the gripping Season 3 finale of Lioness. As Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña) wept in her home after discovering her husband (Dave Annable) had taken their daughters and left her, she had no idea someone was plotting against her on the other side of the world.

In a shocking twist, Aaliyah Amrohi (Stephanie Nur) was revealed to be the person who had not once, but twice, ordered the abduction of Joe. Viewers will remember that Cruz Manuelos’ (Laysla De Oliveira) first mission was to get close to Aaliyah to gain access to her terrorist financier/billionaire father, Asmar Ali Amrohi (Bassem Youssef), and then kill him. Cruz assumed a false identity as the sweet Zara to endear herself to the betrothed Aaliyah. The two grew to have feelings for each other and embarked on a torrid secret love affair. Despite Cruz’s genuine love for Aaliyah, Cruz had to kill Aaliyah’s father and terrible fiancé and then flee without saying goodbye. It’s no surprise that Aaliyah has been holding on to a grudge!

Needless to say, the positive fan response to Aaliyah’s return has been “overwhelming” for Nur. “It’s been so heartwarming.” In fact, Sheridan called Nur himself to tell her the good news. “It’s so wonderful that he speaks to his actors directly,” said Nur. “So, when he told me that Aaliyah’s story was going to continue, I think I screamed right into the phone… I had no idea what Taylor had been plotting.”

Nur couldn’t have been more ready to dive back into her Lioness role. However, this is not the same Aaliyah audiences were introduced to almost three years ago. “Aaliyah was a very sensitive person who wore her heart on her sleeve,” said Nur. “I imagine she felt very angry and betrayed by what happened.” While Nur doesn’t have “any details about what [her character] has been through,” she believes that Aaliyah has been in a “suffering place” for a long time. “Her pain must be incredible,” said Nur simply.

Nur hopped on a call with DECIDER to discuss her character’s surprise return to the series, share her thoughts on Aaliyah’s state of mind, and more.

DECIDER: The Season 3 finale has been out for only 24 hours, but you must already be feeling fans’ excitement at having Aaliyah back on the series?

STEPHANIE NUR: Yes, it’s been so heartwarming. I barely slept last night. My phone was going crazy with people reaching out to me in different time zones [laughs]. It’s been very overwhelming. I’m super excited and so happy that Aaliyah’s return resonated with audiences. It’s just a testament to Taylor’s great writing.

Lioness audiences were truly shocked when it was revealed that Aaliyah had been the one to order Joe’s abduction. How did you learn about her continuing story arc? Did Taylor call you himself?

I got a call from Taylor. It’s so wonderful that he speaks to his actors directly. That’s not always the case. I got a text from him earlier this year saying that he was going to set up a phone call. I actually thought he was reaching out to me about a different project. Taylor’s so prolific. He’s got so many projects in the works. Before Lioness, I worked with him on 1883. I had a very small but very poignant scene with Sam Elliott. After that, Taylor took another chance by casting me to play Aaliyah.

You always have to remember that we filmed Lioness Season 1 almost 3 years ago. So, when he told me that Aaliyah’s story was going to continue, I think I screamed right into the phone [laughs]. I was like, “I’m sorry about your ear!” I was in the dark as much as the audience! I just had no idea what Taylor had been plotting.

How do you imagine the last few years have been for Aaliyah?

Aaliyah was a very sensitive person who wore her heart on her sleeve. She came to love from an almost innocent perspective. She didn’t have a lot of experience in that area. When she fell for Zara, she fell hard. I imagine she felt very angry and betrayed by what happened. She’s had to live with the betrayal by the woman she loved and who she thought loved her. It’s quite a suffering place to be. Her pain must be incredible.

At this point, I don’t have any details about what she’s been through. However, it was my job to portray what her mental and emotional state would be after she learned that Joe had escaped once again.

And you did that beautifully. I understand her logic in going after Joe first, but if Aaliyah’s a sensitive person, wouldn’t she be more apt to seek revenge on Cruz before going after the others?

That’s a great question, but it’s more of a question for Taylor [laughs]. I wouldn’t want to speak out of turn. Though, I will say, wherever there’s hate involved, there’s also a lot of love. If you are feeling strong emotions of betrayal or pain, it’s usually because it comes from a place of having loved very hard. Maybe Aaliyah is biding her time before confronting the woman she knew as Zara, whom she loved, but who also destroyed the life she knew. I really can’t say.

That’s fair. I do love that Aaliyah got a grand re-entrance into the series in the Season 3 finale. She emerges from her bathtub in her opulent Doha apartment fully feeling her power. It was almost Bond villian-esque!

Yeah, that was really fun. It was nice to see some familiar faces among the crew members after three years. I had a really warm welcome back. There wasn’t much of a wardrobe fitting [laughs], but I got to see the beautiful room beforehand with that stunning bathtub. It was made out of pink marble and was really deep.

I don’t know if people know how much TV magic went into filming that scene. We shot at this beautiful house in Texas, and they CGI’d the Doha skyline. It was really cool.

Obviously, she is not the sweet Aaliyah audiences last saw three years ago. Did you find it easy to slip into her new mindset?

Yes, absolutely. After we wrapped on Season 1, I was having dreams as Aaliyah. I was still very much in character. So, when Taylor called me about bringing Aaliyah back, those lingering visions made sense. A part of me must have known I would play Aaliyah again. I was definitely living in all the possibilities that could happen to her following Season 1. Over the years, I have gotten a lot of messages asking about her, so I knew she resonated with so many people. Aaliyah has never been very far away from me.