Lioness Actress Elizaveta Neretin Explains Why Balakin Had To Die

A stunning reveal at the end of Season 3 of Lioness overshadowed the most notable death from Episode 8.

During Episode 7, the White House — Secretary of State Edward Mullins, CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield and CIA Special Activities Director Kaitlyn Meade — decide that Oleksandra Balakin (the Ukrainian double-agent) has to die to prevent news of Ukrainian involvement in Joe’s kidnapping from spreading.

If that happens, they believe the U.S. may be forced to pull support from Ukraine and the country would fall. Russian would gain control of key territories, etc. … it’s not a good result for American interests.

• Lioness’ Season 3 finale began streaming on Sunday (Sept. 20) on Paramount+.
• Heading into the episode, Joe McNamara’s (Zoe Saldaña) team was still trying to figure out who was responsible for her kidnapping.
• Season 4 of Lioness has not yet been confirmed.

The twist is, they were wrong.

Ukraine had nothing to do with Joe’s kidnapping, and by the end of Episode 8, they all conclude it was Iran’s revenge mission. Only the audience knows that theory is also wrong, but that’s a story for another article and another interview.

Balakin proved to be honest and loyal to U.S. interests, but no one figures that out until after two agents are sent to kill her. They’re successful, and at the end, the audience sees her body unceremoniously dumped in a park in Oklahoma.

“It’s like a room full of people who are there to create a safe space for me to release an emotion. And it can be, quite honestly, it can be healing. But it isn’t easy on the body.”

If you thought her death was unnecessary, you’re not alone.

Actress Elizaveta Neretin would disagree, and her perspective is especially valuable given her background (Russian and Ukrainian parents) and her inside knowledge.

She talked to Taste of Country’s Billy Dukes from Rome, Italy, on Monday afternoon (Sept. 21).

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Take me through the emotions of learning your character’s story arc all the way through the end, when Oleksandra dies.

When Taylor first told me that he had something for me on Lioness, I was like, whoa, because I knew about the show. I hadn’t watched the show yet at that point, and I was like, that’s exciting.

So my imagination was like running wild. And then, I mean I had a feeling that it had something to do with the Ukrainian-Russian conflict because it’s so pertinent and because that’s what he does. He writes about current events. Exactly how accurate he is, that’s like up to interpretation and to people who actually know more about that stuff.

Then he called me and he started telling me about Oleksandra, and I started to do research and begin to embody. And then the first few episodes were sent to me and I was like, “Oh, I see, I see what’s happening,” you know. And then the way the season was unfolding in terms of their treatment of her, I had a feeling it wasn’t gonna end well for her.

Especially after Episode 6, when she finds out that Joe Is kidnapped. Yeah, I feel like she would put two and two together, that they would think it’s her. I mean, they inform her that it was like a Russian or Belarus contract agent.

She was getting it and she knows they don’t trust her fully. She had a feeling, and in the eighth episode, when they show up at her house without Kyle — Taylor called me and he said, “I have to kill her for this story.” I was like, “Yeah, yeah, checks out. All good.”

Was learning about Oleksandra’s death kind of heartbreaking?

In a way, but it’s more heartbreaking for Oleksandra. I’m an actor, this is a story and it’s lovely to be in. I’m very honored.

I’ve never been in a full season; this is my first really big gig. I’m okay, this is fine. Jobs beget jobs, I’ll get another job, there’ll be other roles. I have this pain in my heart for Oleksandra.

Did you attempt to change Taylor’s mind?

No, no, no, no, no.

You didn’t beg for mercy and for life? 

No, I didn’t. It made sense. Truly, it made sense that she would go. Because look, it shows— it’s a thing that shows how while we definitely watch the show and we side on the side of Joe’s side, America’s side, we still get to see how brutal these people are.

I think it’s necessary. Like, that’s why martyrs exist, right? It’s to show that the whole system is not, not good. Not just someone over there is a bad guy, you know what I mean? Like, everything.

That scene with (Secretary of State) Mullins when he goes, “No, it’s murder. It’s actually murder. Don’t delude yourself into thinking it’s not.” Yeah, like, it’s— it’s there. There is a reason for this, you know. There’s a reason for Oleksandra’s murder.

Lioness

There’s some overlap between your character and your real life. I wonder if any part of filming was difficult because you had a little bit more knowledge of what Russian and Ukrainian relationships were like, or if some parts were maybe easier because of that?

It was definitely difficult. My father is Russian and my mother is Ukrainian, and so this, this conflict is difficult. And there’s so many people like me. There’s so, so many kids who are — because when you— when it was USSR, everybody traveled to different countries for universities. Like, it was all, you know, kind of like if you imagine the European Union.

You can now go and study in France although you live in Italy. Like it all becomes accessible. And at the time, my parents met because they both traveled to Moldova to study there.

What’s difficult is that people tend to want me to choose which side I’m on. And I completely, I think that what’s happening is awful … but people who live in the country, the future generations, they have nothing to do with this. It hurts me.

It was difficult, it was challenging to look at Kyle and say, “Don’t you dare call me Russian.” It’s challenging. That’s what I was thinking, yes. Yeah, but I’m an actor, I’m an actor so I get to live the truth of the character, and the truth is that there are many, many, many people I know, my family who feel that way. So I get to play the truth of that.

The viewing experience is so tense, and the season butts right up against real-world events. Was the filming experience enjoyable? 

So it’s like, when you’re acting in really dramatic and traumatic scenes, it almost makes space for like a catharsis, a certain release. You know how in life you can say, “I had a really good cry.” That was a really good cry.

Were you happy in the moment while you were crying? No. However, the pleasure of the release of the built-up emotion brings you a sort of … fulfillment.

While they’re difficult scenes, you use them, you use it. And the way you work, the way I work with it is it’s about the release of the emotion. So if anything, it’s like a room full of people who are there to create a safe space for me to release an emotion. And it can be, it can be, quite honestly, it can be healing.

But it isn’t easy on the body. Afterwards you need a really good night’s sleep or a few good night’s sleeps. There’s a decompression that needs to occur as well after working so hard emotionally.

We didn’t actually see you get killed on camera. We just see your body afterwards, which I had mixed feelings about because. Was there a scene dreamed up or some talks about like showing the actual death?

No. I don’t want to speak for Taylor. However, if we know that’s what’s going to happen, perhaps the scene is not necessary.

Because each scene is there for a reason, right? It’s like a carrier of information. And because she knows she’s already going to be killed, perhaps that’s why we didn’t need to see it.