In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our TV and streaming podcast host Mike DeAngelo goes deep undercover while discussing “Lioness.” The Taylor Sheridan-created Paramount+ series follows a CIA operative who leads a top-secret team meant to infiltrate and execute the most dangerous targets around the world. The tense, action-packed series stars Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Genesis Rodriguez, and more. 

READ MORE: ‘The Old Man’: Jeff Bridges & Amy Brenneman Discuss Their Spy Drama, ‘Tron: Ares,’ ‘Heat’ & More [Bingeworthy Podcast]

Joining Bingeworthy to discuss season two of the series is one of the stars, Michael Kelly (“The Penguin,” “Jack Ryan,” “House of Cards”). During the interview, Kelly discussed landing his “Lioness” character off of what he thought was a failed meeting with Taylor Sheridan for another project. 

“I had flown out here to Los Angeles to meet with [Taylor Sheridan] for the movie with Angelina Jolie, [‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’],” Kelly said. “I did not get that [role], and then when they said, ‘Hey, Taylor Sheridan wants to have a call with you to talk about this new show he’s doing,’ I was like, oh my god, yes, I love Taylor Sheridan, obviously.” 

“And I told him, ‘Hey man, I don’t know if you remember, but a few years ago I flew out there, and I met with you for the Angelina Jolie movie,” Kelly continued. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, that’s why we’re talking, bro.’ He was like, ‘The casting director said, Pkay, we were going through roles, and she was giving recommendations of who might play who, and we’re giving lists for each character, and she said, and for Westfield, we’ve got Michael Kelly.’ He was like, ‘Done, moving on,’ and he’s like, ‘That’s why we’re talking now.’ So for all the actors out there, when things don’t go your way, sometimes they end up going your way.”

Kelly, despite being a longtime acting veteran with many significant roles under his belt, also detailed how special “Lioness” feels when you’re on-set with co-stars like Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman.

“That’s arguably the best of the best sitting at that table,” Kelly said. “First of all, I’m pinching myself going, ‘I can’t believe I’m at this table,’ and then to get to go toe-to-toe against Morgan at times, and that fun stuff that Nicole and I have and the backstory that we’ve created for these two characters – like, we just are having a lot of fun with it, and it is one of those pinch yourself [jobs]. I’m a really, really fortunate guy to get to do this. Like, it’s pretty crazy.”

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Kelly also plays a significant role in Max’s “The Penguin” series, starring Colin Farrell as the title character as he rises to power in Gotham City. Kelly plays a high-ranking mobster, Johnny Vitti, opposite Farrell and discusses how wild it was to see Farrell in full Penguin makeup for the first time.

“The first time I saw [Colin’s make-up], I was so blown away,” Kelly shared. “I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Also, the first time I saw him in it on set, he was talking as Colin Farrell, and I was talking as Michael Kelly. And then they’re like, ‘All right, guys, we’re ready.’ And then we go into the [Johnny] Vitti-Penguin transition. The Vitti transition is a little easier than The Penguin transition, but he just did it. He turned on a dime and walked away with his limp. And here comes the accent, and he’s [The Penguin]. But seeing it for the first time, I was like, ‘holy shit!’ [I was] this close in person. He was like, ‘Get in here.’ And he’s like, ‘You won’t find it. You won’t see it. As close as you can get to my face.’ It’s crazy.”

Kelly also popped up at the end of the recent “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” as a recruiter for “G.I. Joe,” leading fans to speculate about a crossover film with “Transformers.” During the interview, Kelly detailed how that cameo came to pass and if he’s heard about what’s next. 

“They shot the film, and then they were doing reshoots, and they added what was going to be a post-credits [scene]. One of those little pop-up things,” Kelly said. “And then they’re like, ‘No, we’re going to make that the end of the movie.’ I was like, ‘Really?!’ So even that happened after we shot it. It was pitched to me as a post-credit thing that if we move forward, we’d like your character to do that world. That being said, I haven’t heard anything since. So maybe they either didn’t like what I did, or they’re not doing it, or I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything yet. Hopefully, I do. Because I would love to. I mean, again, that goes [back to me] as a kid – to be the guy who’s responsible, even in a way if they could move forward, even without me, it’s like, I was able to introduce the crossover of those two worlds.”

“Lioness” is airing now on Paramount+.

The Playlist Presents – Michael Kelly’s Film/TV Recommendation Playlist:

1.) “Peaky Blinders” (2013-2022) – Created By Steven Knight

2.) “A Quiet Place: Day One” (2024) – Written and Directed By Michael Sarnoski

3.) “The Night Manager” (2016) – Created By David Farr

New Season Two episodes of “Lioness” premiere on each Thursday, only on Paramount+. Listen to the full interview below:

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