While fans of Hallmark Channel and Great American Family no doubt know Jill Wagner for her roles in heartwarming Christmas movies, the holiday rom-com actress favorite is also entrenched in a, very different role these days.
Wagner can currently be seen in “Lioness,” the Paramount+ hit from “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, and she’s also an executive producer of the popular series.
In the hit action drama, Wagner portrays Bobby, a CIA Special Activities Division operative and the team leader for the Quick Reaction Force.
A Month-Long Boot Camp
In addition to acting, Wagner’s role also requires an extensive knowledge of weaponry and military training. That, she explained in a recent interview with the “Gold Shields” podcast, is provided in a month-long boot camp that she and the show’s other actors participate in prior to production of each season.
“We train for a month prior,” she said of the training that Sheridan insists his actors complete.
“He puts you through basically a boot camp and we have our, whether it be a SEAL or Green Beret or Delta Guy, whatever, they come out and they help us and they really work with us,” Wagner explained.
“And these are people that are, I mean, I look at these guys, I’m like, ‘You guys are extremely patient people.’ Because we are actors, we are not operators we are trying our best to play, but I think we are all very aware that we, you know, we are not the real deal but in order to portray it, like you you have to go through, for us, we have to go through a month if not more training,” Wagner added.
‘A Perishable Skill’
ParamountThat, Wagner continued, was just one aspect of the training she and her co-stars undergo.
“And that’s just for the technical side of things,” she shared.
“That’s just for the gun side of things. And then as you know, I’m sure you guys know, it’s a perishable skill,” she detailed.
“So if you’re not shooting every day, if you’re not doing something, you can forget and you can pick up bad habits,” Wagner added. “So, our technical advisors, there was at least one on set at all times, if not two, and we would go over all of our choreography and, you know, wear those guys out with questions. But they were always great, and I think that was very important with Taylor. You know, a lot of these shows don’t have technical advisors there behind the camera every single day watching every move that all of us do.”
Sheridan’s shows, however, are not like others, and Wagner insists he’s adamant that actors’ portrayal of military personnel is accurate down to the most minute detail.
“Now, and I’m sure now that I say that, I’m sure that I’m going to do something dumb in the next episode and everybody’s going to be like, ‘Where was the technical advice for that day?'” she joked.
“Look, I get it all the time, but yeah, it’s really important to I know all of our actors that we at least look the part as much as we can,” she said.
Wagner hasn’t left feel-good holiday movies behind, though. She’s been with Great American Family since December 2021 and, on October 10, she’ll star with fellow Hallmark alum Cameron Mathison in “An Accidental Arctic Christmas.”
