A former Whitesboro resident has landed a spot on season two of “Lioness,” an American spy thriller television series created by Taylor Sheridan (co-creator of the series “Yellowstone”).
Paula Rose Moore grew up in Whitesboro until her junior year in high school, when her mother, Diana Abrego-Story, became ill. They moved to Boyd, Texas, to be closer to family, but a series of events left them homeless.
“We had a lot of big changes when we moved,” Abrego-Story said. “We left our community that we knew and loved. It was really hard. But God has been so good – He led us down a different path.”
Moore, who serves as CEO of Moore Social, is a marketing communications, social media manager and promotion specialist. Her social media accounts caught the eye of talent scouts who reached out to her for possible acting opportunities.
“She got noticed on social media and they reached out to her,” Abrego-Story said. “She was so nonchalant about it, but to see how far we’d come -- it was a big deal!”
For her role in “Lioness,” Moore was on set from early morning until 5 a.m. the next day. Out of 400 people on set that day, she was chosen among the top 20 for a special scene.
In addition to being chosen to appear on “Lioness,” Moore had the opportunity to appear in “Yellowstone” and “Happy Gilmore 2” (roles she had to decline due to family obligations).
“While I wasn’t able to take on those roles, it was an incredible feeling to be chosen, and I know God has even more blessings in store,” Moore posted on Facebook.
“Lioness” was first announced in September 2020 and the series was renewed for a second season in May 2024. The show stars Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, among other big names.
The series is loosely based on the premise of “Team Lioness,” where in Iraq in 2003, male U.S. soldiers found it difficult to search Muslim women. Therefore, the decision was made to send female soldiers out with patrols to stop insurgents from using women to smuggle material.
The show can be seen on Paramount +.
“We’ve had a tough road, but Paula keeps telling me that things happen for a reason,” Abrego-Story said. “If we hadn’t gone through those hard times, we wouldn’t have ended up where we are now.”
Moore is now 24 years old and lives in the Azle, Texas area where she is a wife, mom and business owner.