Yahoo Lifestyle “Landman”'s Kayla Wallace Recalls Learning “When Calls the Heart” Was a 'Comfort Show' for Billy Bob Thornton (Exclusive)
Thornton revealed his history with the Hallmark series on Wallace's "first day" on set of 'Landman', she tells PEOPLE: "It definitely broke the ice"
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Kayla Wallace attends the "Landman" premiere in LA (left); Billy Bob Thornton attends the SAG Nom Comm screening of "Landman" (right)Billy Bob Thornton didn't last even one day without sharing his love for When Calls the Heart on the set of Landman.
Kayla Wallace, who plays the high-powered corporate lawyer Rebecca Falcone flown in by Monty (Jon Hamm) to solve Tommy's (Thornton) legal crisis, tells PEOPLE that Thornton, 69, confessed his history with the long-running Hallmark series on the "first day of shooting" the Taylor Sheridan series.
"That's the first thing he says to me," Wallace, 31, says. "It definitely broke the ice."
"It was a really sweet story. I guess his mom loved the show, and he would watch it with her," she says. "So it definitely made me see him as the kind human that he is and not this guy on a billboard, Billy Bob Thornton."
"That first interaction was so special, and it just was so cool to hear," says Wallace, who starred on seasons 6-11 of When Calls the Heart before landing her role in Landman. "Oh, my gosh. I was like, 'No, no. I know stuff that you are on.' This is backward."
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Colm Feore as Nathan, Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris and Kayla Wallace as Rebecca Falcone in 'Landman'Obviously, she's no stranger to the "amazing fan base" When Calls the Heart boasts, but hearing of Thornton's history with the show was a particular highlight.
"I love that it's such a comfort show for so many people, which it was clearly for his mom too. I love that he knew of it, that's just so cool," she says.
It wasn't the first time she's met someone who "maybe doesn't fit the general demographic of fans" but has a love for the show, which premiered in 2014. "It just goes to show that a show like that can just reach a vast audience."
David Dolsen/Hallmark Channel/Courtesy Everett
Kayla Wallace, Amanda Wong in 'When Calls the Heart' season 10Wallace's love for the series that gave her her start is clear, but she's also visibly thrilled to be expanding her work with Landman.
"I was pinching myself the whole way because I mean, this is a dream job. I feel so lucky to be a part of this project," she says.
She was drawn to the show because of the "amazing story" it tells. Based on Imperative Entertainment and Texas Monthly's 11-part podcast “Boomtown," Landman explores the "oil industry in Texas," but as Wallace says, "you just don't think you're going to get hit with family and heartbreak and loss, and all of these crazy themes that are just so relatable to the everyday person."
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris and Kayla Wallace as Rebecca Falcone in 'Landman'Joining the show also meant getting to work with the likes of Demi Moore and Ali Larter, alongside Thornton and Hamm, 53. "It's funny to meet people that you've watched on your screen — Billy Bob, Jon, Demi. It's really surreal."
Praising Thornton, who viewers have seen her interact with the most so far onscreen, Wallace says the Oscar winner is "so wonderful to work with."
Hamm was "incredible," too, and while she "didn't get to cross paths with Demi too much," she's hoping for the chance in a potential season 2.
"Knock on wood," she says. "Let's hope that we get some scenes together."
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New episodes of Landman premiere Sundays on Paramount+.
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