What role does Genesis Rodriguez play in Lioness? Character explored in depth

Lioness Season 2 introduced the character of Captain Josephina "Josie" Carrillo, played by Genesis Rodriguez. In season 2, her character takes the place of Sergeant Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) as the Lioness.

Captain Josephina Carrillo has been described as a

“a dedicated soldier with a fierce personality and a skilled helicopter pilot.”

She will be leading the mission to kill the Chinese operatives who are working in Iran. Josephina comes with a rather dark backstory as her family is associated with the cartel that was involved in the kidnapping of the congresswoman. This also serves as the reason behind her being recruited at the Lioness organization.

In Lioness Season 2, as Genesis Rodriguez’s character comes to face truths about her family that she consciously avoided and also serves the organization she is a part of, let us now explore the character in detail.

Who is Josephina Carrillo in Lioness Season 2?

Genesis Rodriguez joined the cast of Lioness Season 2 as the new Lioness of Joe, Captain Josephina Carrillo. Her character makes her first appearance at the end of episode 2, but once she is shown on screen, it becomes clear that she is going to be a powerful force.

However, what’s interesting is despite being a talented and deserving soldier, Josephina was not recruited in the team solely because of her capabilities. One of the primary reasons behind her recruitment was her connection with Alvaro Carrillo, the team’s target, who happens to be Josephina’s uncle.

The leader of the Los Tigres Cartel in Mexico, Alvaro is an important target for Joe and his team and they want to leverage Josephina’s relationship with him to get hold of him. However, Josephina tells them that she never really had any kind of connection with this uncle of hers.

It is also revealed that Josephina’s father Pablo Carrillo, who is also Alvaro’s brother, had immigrated to the US years back. Later, Pablo gained citizenship as he joined the Army and fought in the Gulf War. Pablo’s lifestyle, despite not being really wealthy, makes Joe and his team certain of his contact with Alvaro, through whom he might be getting money.

This family history of Josephina, along with her skills as a helicopter pilot, made her the perfect choice to become a Lioness, who would have to infiltrate her own family to ensure the mission’s success.

To ensure that the whole thing operates smoothly, Josephina is first kicked out of the Army so that the cartel, which is run by her uncle, thinks that she is no longer on the side of the law and thus she would come and work with them.

This would mean that Genesis Rodriguez's character will get smooth access to the internal world of the cartel, which will help her to identify the real mastermind behind the kidnapping of Congresswoman Hernandez, who is supposedly a Chinese agent with solid connections with the Ministry of State Security.

What else has Genesis Rodriguez starred in besides Lioness Season 2?

Before appearing in Lioness Season 2, Genesis Rodriguez acted in various shows and movies, including Prisionera, Doña Bárbara, and Dame Chocolate. She also joined the cast of Umbrella Academy in Season 3 as Sloane Hargreeves/Sparrow Number Five.

She has also worked as a voice artist and gave her voice in Big Hero 6 and Big Hero 6: The Series to the character Honey Lemon.

Lioness Season 1 and 2 can be streamed on Paramount+.