Elizaveta Neretin was destined to play Ukrainian double agent Oleksandra Balakin on Paramount+’s hit spy thriller, Lioness. After wowing creator Taylor Sheridan with her performance as the doomed Vera Sunter in Mayor of Kingstown while still studying acting at The Juilliard School, Neretin felt like their paths would cross again. “He knew I was going to school, and he was like, ‘Go to school. I’ll see you on the other side,’” said Neretin. “After I graduated, I messaged him, and he messaged me back saying that he had something for me.”
With her “half Russian, half Ukrainian” background, Neretin found playing Oleksandra “difficult” at times, especially when her fully Ukrainian character took great offense at being called “Russian” as an insult during an interrogation conducted by Kyle McManus (Thad Lukinbill) and Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira). However, as an actor, Neretin noted that “you take on someone’s perspective, and you play their truth.” For her part, Neretin focused on “what my mother, my mother’s family, and many of my friends are feeling right now” to convey the depths of Neretin’s pain.
After Joe McNamara’s (Zoe Saldaña) identity is exposed and her family is put in danger, McNamara recruits an unwilling Oleksandra to join their team to find out the responsible parties and further engage with Russia through spycraft. When asked if—given previous events—this was the optimal result for Oleksandra, Neretin was quick to answer: “Oleksandra didn’t want to be recruited. The best-case scenario would be if they just took the latest information she gave them and left her alone.” Will Joe eventually come to trust Oleksandra? Audiences will have to wait and find out. “There is respect, but also judgment by Joe when it comes to Oleksandra,” said Neretin.
Neretin spoke to Decider over Zoom to discuss her role on the series, chat about creating Oleksandra’s backstory, and more.
DECIDER: You spent a whole 7 years studying biology before going to The Juilliard School to get your Master of Fine Arts. When did you know you had to make a career change to follow your passion?
ELIZAVETA NERETIN: I was on a vacation with one of my best friends after having my heart broken. We sat on the beach, and she kept asking me what I wanted to do. I kept starting my answers off with, “Well, I could” and then filling in the blank. She snapped at me and said, “I know you could do a lot of things, but what do you want to do?” Growing up, my father pushed me to do science and made the possibility of becoming an artist feel like a shameful thing. So, I finally said, “I’ve always wanted to be an actor.” She asked me, “Why don’t you?” And I didn’t have a good enough reason not to [laughs].
Lioness is not your first foray into the world of Taylor Sheridan. You had a memorable role in the Mayor of Kingstown pilot which helped you secure your role as Oleksandra. How flattering was it that he remembered you after all that time?
Just incredibly flattering. It was because of him that I signed with Gersh while I was still working on Mayor of Kingstown in Toronto. He knew I was going to school, and he was like: “Go to school. I’ll see you on the other side.” After I graduated, I messaged him, and he messaged me back saying that he had something for me.
You go to school, you audition so much, and you don’t hear back from 80% of the roles you try out for. So, to have someone want to work with you again after some time is really cool. And to have that same person on set telling you that you’re doing great… it means a lot.
Lioness is one—if not the most—topical shows on television—especially since this season explores Russia’s war in Ukraine. Is that responsibility felt on set? Is that something you carry?
Very much so. It was quite challenging. I am half Russian, half Ukrainian. Saying “don’t call me Russian” in that one scene was very difficult for me, and yet, as an actor, that is the job. You take on someone’s perspective, and you play their truth. You must lean into it. In that particular scene, I focused on what my mother, my mother’s family, and many of my friends are feeling right now. It’s the pain of the people.
In Episode 3, we learn a lot about Oleksandra. We know her father died fighting. Her brothers are soldiers. Did you and Taylor discuss what led her to becoming a double agent?
No, actually, those were things that I worked on myself. I created my own backstory for her. Taylor and I spoke about general ideas. I’m Canadian, and I work in the States, so I am definitely removed from the conflict. However, because all of my family is over there, the war is still very much part of my life. It wasn’t difficult to create Oleksandra’s story. So once Taylor started telling me his ideas about her, I was like, “Oh, I got it.” He trusted me with that.
The scene where Kyle interrogates Oleksandra is pretty intense to say the least. How long did that sequence take to film? Can you talk about working with Thad Luckinbill and Laysla De Oliveira?
That one sequence took just one day. I love Thad. He was awesome and very supportive. He’s such a kind man, and Kyle is such a shit [laughs]. Laysla is very sweet. We connected because we’re both Canadian. They helped create a very nice environment to be so ugly in, if you know what I mean.
I was struck that while Oleksandra initially tried to spare her mother and sister, she told Kyle to go ahead and kill them at one point. She later tells Joe, “A soldier’s oath is their family’s oath.” Does she believe that to be true? Was she prepared to watch her mother and sister get tortured or worse?
Oh yeah, I think so. It’s a difficult thing, but I definitely think she was. She wholeheartedly believes what she said to Joe. Previously, Joe was able to separate her family from her work until she couldn’t. It’s not like that at all for Oleksandra.
Instead of turning her over to Russia or exposing her, Joe recruits Oleksandra to work with the Lioness team. How does she feel about that development? Is this the best-case scenario for her after being taken?
Oleksandra did not want to be recruited. The best-case scenario would be if they just took the most recent information she gave them and left her alone. Then the Americans could have dealt with the consequences of their actions based on the initial intel she provided.
Your character is one of the few to be able to go toe-to-toe with Zoe Saldana’s Joe McNamara. Is it because they have a mutual respect for each other?
I think so, although Joe judges Oleksandra because she gathers information by being a Honeypot. People are complex beings. They can hold two things. I remember Zoe—though I’m not trying to speak for her— saying on set that while Joe doesn’t approve of Oleksandra’s methods, she recognizes that her status in Ukraine is equal to hers in the U.S. Oleksandra has women working under her as well. So, there is respect, but also judgment by Joe when it comes to Oleksandra.
Lastly, what can you tease about Oleksandra’s journey the rest of the season?
You’re not going to know who she truly works for until the very end. I’m not allowed to say anything else [laughs].