Dave Annable was ‘praying’ he’d hear from Taylor Sheridan for another role after “Yellowstone” death
Dave Annable was ‘praying’ he’d hear from Taylor Sheridan for another role after “Yellowstone” death
Shelby StivaleFri, August 7, 2026 at 6:27 PM UTC
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Dave Annabel on ‘Lioness’Credit: Greg Lewis/Paramount+Key Points -
Dave Annable hoped he would hear from Taylor Sheridan for another project after his Yellowstone character was killed off.
The actor “was praying” for a phone call from the writer-director.
Annable currently stars as pediatric surgeon Neal McNamara on Sheridan’s series Lioness.
Dave Annable didn’t know if he’d ever hear from Taylor Sheridan again after that episode of Yellowstone.
Even though Annable was killed off during the first episode of Sheridan’s hit cowboy drama, the actor “was praying” he’d hear from the writer-director for another work opportunity. Then Lioness came along.
“To get that call, there’s no greater compliment for an actor to have somebody like Taylor call you and ask to work with you again,” Annable told TV Insider in an interview published Friday. “When he presented Lioness to me, before he even said anything, I was like, ‘I’m in, I’m in, I’m in.’”
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Annable played Lee Dutton, the eldest of John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) kids on Yellowstone, which aired for six seasons, from 2018 to 2024. Lee’s death in the premiere served as a catalyst for several storylines throughout the show’s run. Annable briefly reprised his role as Lee for several flashback scenes.
The actor called it a “beautifully awful” thing to be killed off in the first episode of Yellowstone. “I had no idea how much fun I’d have playing a cowboy,” he added.
Now Annable is playing Neal McNamara in Lioness, which he called “a real gift.” The character is a pediatric oncology surgeon, married to Zoe Saldaña’s Joe McNamara in the Paramount+ spy thriller.
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“I think he’s got a beautiful story,” Annable continued. “It’s an important story to play a family member of these service members.”
Dave Annable at the ‘Lioness’ season 3 premiere in New York.Credit: John Nacion/Getty
Annable also shared his feelings on his character’s backstory, explaining how a surgeon and CIA agent could have crossed paths.
“I think they met before their prospective careers, and they built this foundation and supported one another,” the actor explained. “Obviously, Neal was in medical school for a very long time, and she was joining the CIA.”
Annable plays the role thinking that Neal and Joe “have built enough of a foundation to really support each other.” The characters, he said, definitely made “some deal” that they’re “literally in this for the long haul,” with no exceptions. However, some of the events in season 3 might change all that.
“Now, with a few dead bodies on the front lawn, you know maybe that’s going to make a slight right off the exit ramp, but we’ll see,” he told TV Insider. “But I do think that it’s one of my favorite relationships that I’ve seen on TV, and it’s incredibly mature and forward and beautiful.”
New episodes of Lioness premiere Sundays on Paramount+.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
