Paramount+’s high-octane spy thriller “Lioness” boasts a top-tier cast of A-listers, including Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman. But there’s also a talented roster of longtime TV actors, many of whom you’re likely to recognize from previous roles — such as LaMonica Garrett, who plays Tucker.
Created by “Yellowstone” mastermind Taylor Sheridan, “Lioness” revolves around an elite CIA program in which female operatives go undercover to strike at target organizations from the inside. Tucker is a seasoned CIA Special Activities Division operative and Marine Raider who brings some muscle to Joe’s (Saldaña’s) team.
This isn’t the first time Garrett has played a commanding figure on TV. Fans of FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” will likely recognize him as San Joaquin’s Deputy Sheriff Cane, a role he carried from Seasons 4 through 7. On ABC’s “Designated Survivor,” he kept the president safe as straight-arrow Secret Service agent Mike Ritter. Comic book die-hards will also know his face from CW’s Arrowverse, where he pulled double duty as the cosmic entities Mar Novu/the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor during the massive crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
LaMonica Garrett worked with Taylor Sheridan on 1883
Before signing up for “Lioness,” LaMonica Garrett appeared in another Taylor Sheridan hit: the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883.” He starred as Thomas, a former Buffalo Soldier turned Pinkerton detective who helps guide a group along the hostile Oregon Trail.
During an interview with Wide Open Country, Garrett reflected on the moment he got the call about “Lioness.” He told the outlet that he was working on promoting a UFC fight in Las Vegas when he got a surprise call from his agent: “They were like, ‘Do you want to be in Taylor’s new show called “Lioness”?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah! What’s it about?'” When it was mentioned that Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña were onboard, that was all he needed to hear. “I was just like, ‘Stop. I don’t even need to know what it’s about. I don’t know what my role is, but I’m in,'” he said.
Reuniting with Sheridan made the gig a no-brainer. “He was an actor first, so it’s a unique experience working with him,” Garrett shared. “He knows the way actors think. He knows the dialogue, the back and forth, and how to get through to us. … It’s a perfect environment for working actors.”
