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[Exclusive Clip] Morgan Freeman Brings His Fist Down in 'Special Ops: Lioness' Debut

"My job is to protect the president from the fallout, and that's all I'm here to do."

Morgan Freeman makes his much-anticipated debut in Episode 6 of Special Ops: Lioness, premiering Sunday, Aug. 20 on Paramount+. The Oscar-winning actor joins Taylor Sheridan's espionage thriller as the formidable Secretary of State Edwin Mullins. Get a first glimpse at Freeman's hair-raising series debut in the exclusive clip below, also featuring Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldana, Michael Kelly and Thad Luckinbill.

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Called in to minimize the fallout from their al-Qaeda raid, Mullins (Freeman) warns the Lioness team at a debrief that their actions were reckless. During the tense exchange, Kyle (Luckinbill) explains how the undercover group successfully neutralized a team of al-Qaeda terrorists on American soil — to which Mullins laughs. "I've heard some bull**** in my time, I'll tell you," he says. "But that is...bravo."

"It takes local police an hour to get their s*** together with a live shooter in a f****** school," he snarls. "You want me to believe that they dumped six al-Qaeda fighters in less than ninety seconds?"

Mullins' arrival comes in the wake of last week's bomb raid in San Antonio. In a behind-the-scenes featurette, the cast of Special Ops: Lioness gush about working with Freeman, who's been nominated for five Oscars, winning for his supporting role in 2005's Million Dollar Baby.

"There's a reason he's one of the greatest actors, and we saw it," Kidman, who plays CIA supervisor Kaitlyn Meade in the series, says. "You know, [Freeman] walked in and just owned the room."

For his part, Michael Kelly (Lioness program lead Donald Westfield) claims he had no idea Freeman had been cast in the series until the day he arrived on set: "I was like, 'God's here?!'"

Freeman joins series stars Kidman and Zoe Saldana in Episode 6, entitled "The Lie Is the Truth." The episode is directed by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Paul Cameron (Westworld), with a script from series creator Taylor Sheridan.

Special Ops: Lioness Season 1, Episode 6 premieres Sunday, August 20 on Paramount+.

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