'The Unicorn' Isn't Natalie Zea's First Time Sharing the Screen With Walton Goggins

Published Jan. 28 2021, 3:38 p.m. ET

The concept behind the CBS series The Unicorn is that Wade (Walton Goggins) is a highly in-demand prospect for women due to his status as a widower. It's no surprise, then, that the character has had a few love interests since the show debuted in 2019.

In Season 1, Wade briefly dates Anna (Sarayu Blue), Lizzie (Christina Moore), Lena (Brittany Ishibashi), Heather (Julie Berman), and Caroline (Betsy Brandt), before ultimately realizing that he needs to properly grieve his late wife, Jill.

In a cliffhanger moment during the Season 1 finale, Wade encounters a woman named Shannon at the cemetery where Jill is buried. Convinced that he's met someone special, Wade makes it his goal to identify her at the beginning of the second season.

Meanwhile, Shannon is actually the one who is successful in locating Wade, and the two are an item on Season 2. If the actress who plays Shannon looks familiar, it might be because she's been on a few hit TV shows before.

Who plays Shannon on 'The Unicorn'?

The Season 2 regular might be the one to end Wade's quest as a unicorn, and she's played by Natalie Zea.  

Natalie got her start on the NBC soap opera Passions, and she had major roles on The Shield, Hung, and Dirty Sexy Money. 

The Unicorn isn't Natalie's first time starring alongside Walton Goggins, either. The two appeared on the hit FX Western drama, Justified. Natalie played Winona Hawkins, the ex-wife of Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant). She was a series regular for the first three seasons, before shifting to a recurring role.

Walton played reformed-criminal-turned-religious-leader Boyd Crowder on Justified. The character was present during all six seasons of the show. 

Natalie's role on Justified may have lessened after Season 3 because she was starring alongside Kevin Bacon on the Fox cult series, The Following. The show debuted in January of 2013, just a few weeks after Season 3 of Justified premiered. 

The actress' character on The Following was Claire Matthews, the ex-wife of serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). The thriller show ran for three seasons before it was officially canceled in 2015.

After the show's cancellation, Natalie transitioned to comedy. She had a leading part as Robin Randall on the TBS comedy, The Detour. The series centered around a family of four as they traveled on a road trip from upstate New York to Florida. 

TBS canceled The Detour after four seasons in 2019. 

Natalie's other notable credits include two episodes of 9-1-1: Lone Star, and three episodes of White Famous in 2017. She's next set to star in La Brea, a drama series about a woman (Natalie) who gets separated from her family following a sinkhole accident.

Is Natalie Zea married?

The 45-year-old Texas native has been married to Travis Schuldt since 2014. The two starred as love interests on Passions together (Travis played Ethan Winthrop). They dated for 10 years before tying the knot. 

The couple has a daughter named Reygan, who was born in October of 2015. The two host the Passions for Life podcast.

Though Natalie's off-screen life is settled, will her character on The Unicorn find happiness with Wade?

The Unicorn airs on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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