Yahoo Lifestyle Billy Bob Thornton Shares Why Starring in 'Landman' Makes Him "Very Happy"
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All eyes may be on the return of Yellowstone but, ICYMI, Taylor Sheridan introduced yet another Western to his repertoire of dramatic entertainment. And this time, the cast is about as star-studded as it can get, with Billy Bob Thornton at the helm alongside other A-Listers like Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, and Ali Larter. All this to say, if you’re looking for a series to make the end of Yellowstone sting a little less, it’s time to add Landman to your watch list.
Based on the popular Texas Monthly’s podcast Boomtown, written and hosted by Christian Wallace, Landman takes place in West Texas and follows the highs and lows, chaos and corruption of the oil business.
“The oil and gas industry makes $3 billion a day in pure profit—and it’s only getting bigger,” Billy Bob says in the official trailer. “But before any of that money is made, you got to secure the land and manage the people. That’s my job. The first part is pretty simple, it’s the second part that can get you killed.”
Ever intrigued by Taylor’s mastery of modern drama, we sat down with Billy Bob and Ali to discuss what makes Landman a must-watch.
“Intense” and “Mesmerizing” are the first words that come to Billy Bob and Ali’s minds (respectively) when asked to describe the new Paramount+ series. Where Billy Bob plays Tommy Norris, a crisis executive in the oil industry, Ali plays his ex-wife, Angela. This connection alone tells you a major plot point of Landman: It’s a story of high stakes, foundation-shattering stress, and the family dynamic that exists in the midst of it all.
“I hope people take away the fact that when you’re in an intense, big, dangerous business like that… it affects you personally, and it affects your family, your friends, all the people you work with,” Billy Bob tells Country Living. “It’s a big world and a world that’s also easy to get obsessed with. It’s gambling, really, in so many ways—every day is a gamble and I’m the guy who goes and places the bets and certainly collects them to turn over.”
In the show, Billy Bob (Tommy) is also the guy to keep it real. “I'm very happy that Taylor added humor to the show, you know, where it’s not just constant drama because those [types of shows] are not like real life usually; people aren’t just melancholy or mad every minute of their lives or in danger every moment—there are lighter moments in this, which I was very happy about,” he says.
Similarly, Billy Bob was pleased to show his fear and vulnerability in the series, too. “If a lead character is just a man of steel, then what's interesting about it?” he asks. “I mean, you’ve got to see people's flaws and their fear and all the various things that human beings feel—because, you know, bravery wouldn't be bravery if you weren't afraid.”
Meanwhile, Ali feels awe-struck by how well Taylor worked the whole storyline. “I mean, look, Taylor has re-romanticized the American West. There's no question about that,” she tells Country Living. To her, what sets Landman apart is how the show provides an authentic look into the dangerous world of oil in the Permian Basin, AKA the highest-producing oil field in the U.S.
“[Taylor] built out these dynamic characters that are complex and vulnerable and wild and all the feels—when you merge them together, you really get this incredible show, but it also is authentic," Ali shares. "And I think that's what makes it different, especially with Taylor’s shows, is the research that happens to make sure that you really believe that you're there."
Part of what makes the show so relatable in Ali’s eyes? Like Billy Bob, the genuine family connection of it all. “When it comes to my character, Angela Norris, you know, she's lived through the booms and the busts with Tommy, and all those things have really influenced her life and the choices that she's made,” she shares. “So when you kind of see her come in, she's very bright and shiny, but it starts to unpack and unravel and you peel back the layers of the onion to see the true cost of the high-stakes game of oil.”
Another highlight of filming in Ali’s eyes? Getting to let it all out on screen. “Taylor creates dynamic, powerful women and I've been very lucky to work in different genres and play a lot of different characters in my career, but I've never gotten to play someone who's this emotionally complex and who lets it all hang out,” she shares. “[Angela’s] someone who's very provocative—she's also all heart and all love; she's trying to put her family back together. And in a scene, she'll go from crying to laughing to feeling empathy. I mean, she's really able to do these twists and turns. And that was like my greatest challenge as an actor was making sure that I could, you know, really channel that and deliver the powerhouse character that Taylor envisioned for her.”
All this to say, Landman might look like a hyper-masculine, ultra-intense Western geared toward the male viewer but underneath it all, it’s really a family affair.
“For me, every story comes down to love always–it's what motivates us, it’s the greatest motivating factor in anyone's life—and I think that you definitely have this world of dangerous oil and the cartel and the billionaires and, you know, you have all this. But what it comes down to is the core and the family dynamics that happen between Angela and Tommy and Cooper and Ainsley—I think that's the heart and soul of the show,” Ali admits.
New episodes of Landman air on Sundays on Paramount+.
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