In an Interview, “Landman” Stars Billy Bob Thornton & Ali Larter Take Us to Texas
Cormac Newman /
Toxic fumes, heavy machinery, high-risk loans: a landman’s world is laced with liability. Yet, in the Taylor Sheridan-penned series Landman, these dangerous drilling sites are rife with explosions of the interpersonal variety, too. Exhibit A? Tommy and Angela Norris.
Portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton and Ali Larter, the Norris’ on-and-off relationship is riddled with tension; their dynamic flips dinner tables and sends dishes soaring. Driven by his demanding role at M-Tex Oil — a family-run fossil fuel giant headed by Monty and Cami Miller (Jon Hamm and Demi Moore) — professional obligations pull much of Tommy’s focus. When (spoiler!) Monty’s death leaves Tommy as president, the problems only intensify. Meanwhile Angela, absorbed with dinner parties and near-constant dramatics, reads like a caricature of an aspiring Real Housewives of West Texas star. Thanks to Ali Larter’s charisma, however, the cartoonishly conflict-prone character is undeniably fun to watch.
“I get to work next to [Thornton] almost every time I’m on set. He is always just incredibly authentic, and there’s no way to not be like that when you’re with him. It’s been an incredible gift.”
Ali Larter on working with Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman”
In a candid conversation with Thornton and Larter, both stars speak of a genuine behind-the-scenes friendship; warm and relaxed, their demeanours draw a stark contrast with the chaos on screen. Speaking with SHARP, the Landman power couple shares secrets from the West Texas set, exploring the show’s take on character drama, gender roles, and the dangers of oil and gas. Read the full interview below.
STILLS FROM “LANDMAN” SEASON TWO. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT.
Congratulations on the second season of Landman! After some time away, how did it feel to jump back into the relationship between your two characters?
Billy Bob Thornton: You know, I think we never left. Ali and I keep in touch between seasons; she knows my family, I know hers, and we both have mutual friends. So, we don’t get too far apart from each other. And our relationship — particularly the fun part of our relationship — we have it in real life, too. So, it wasn’t so much that we had to jump back into it. We couldn’t wait to get back into it.
Ali Larter: There’s so much mutual respect between us and our entire cast. We did the work the first season to get here. I keep saying it’s like sliding into your favourite pair of worn in old Wranglers, you know? It’s just one of those things where it’s just… it felt really good. When you’re able to have these types of relationships [at] work, it creates a freedom for an actor. Like, you’re there to focus on the work and there is a freedom that comes with being able to be this relaxed. This season, we have so much that happens with the family, and it’s able to go to many unpredictable places. I think the scenes are just incredibly robust and complex because of our friendships. So that’s what’s exciting about this year. I mean, it’s a beautiful season.
STILL FROM “LANDMAN SEASON TWO. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT.
Landman shows how personal relationships are shaped by the pressures of the oil industry. How did the series impact your perspective on this unique environment and culture?
Ali Larter: Our show is based on a podcast, “Boomtown” by Christian Wallace, and the men that are working on the oil rigs — these are real guys that do that job. So, our show really brings an authentic view into this world. I never, ever understood how dangerous it was. Like, the cost, to every family — you really get to see what the cost of oil is. Honestly, it’s just the level of danger. I never, ever knew that before I started on this show.
Billy Bob Thornton: A lot of the people who work in the actual fields — not in the offices, but in the fields — they are ex-cons, they are people who have reached the bottom of the barrel. They are people who have families, who are trying to come back and take care of their families or improve themselves. But they’re also people who can’t get a job. They’re willing to risk their lives and limbs to make this kind of money. They make from $120,000 to $180,000 a year. They couldn’t make that money anywhere else. So I have a respect for the people that I met, who actually do this, because — maybe it’s people who have been in trouble — this is the only place they will find where they can make that kind of money to take care of their families. It’s so dangerous, but the fact that they’re willing to do it, that’s actually pretty respectable.
“Throughout your day, you’ll experience every emotion and every human condition. Real life is every one of the things in this show, and I think that’s why it’s struck a nerve with people.”
Billy Bob Thornton on “Landman”
These two characters sit inside a world driven by money and traditional gender dynamics. How does that shape their partnership?
Ali Larter: Angela was delivered her lot in life. In the third episode of the first season, you really understand the shared history between them. They’ve been through the boom and the bust together and she had to take care of her children by herself. How is she going to do that, a woman who hadn’t gone to an Ivy League school and hadn’t had those opportunities in her life? So I think that it’s a real truthful view into this woman’s world.
I also think that she’s really happy with the idea of bringing her family back together. She’s not out working, [but] she takes care of the home and loves to make these dinners. This is where she shows her worth, and how she’s gonna heal her family and bring them back together. I think that’s admirable in its own way.
Billy Bob Thornton: Better you than me. I love how you said that — that was great.
STILLS FROM “LANDMAN SEASON TWO. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT.
Landman is an intimate character drama. Were there references — whether it’s real life figures or other on-screen projects — that helped ground your performance or that you looked to for inspiration?
Billy Bob Thornton: Well, for me, this happened so naturally that I never needed that. I mean, this character is pretty much me. And her character, in some ways, is her. [Turning to Larter] You’re pretty close in a lot of ways.
Ali Larter: You’re closer.
Billy Bob Thornton: Yeah, I’m closer.
Ali Larter: I mean, this was written for him. There were parts of me [in Angela] that I can tap into. But, you know, this is such a family season. There’s this amazing scene between us, I think it’s in episode six, where Angela’s just asking, ‘Will you love me if you see all of me?’ She just wants to be loved. She doesn’t want the money, she doesn’t want all that. She wants to be with someone who sees her. The work that we get to do this year— there’s one thing that’s on the page, but because it’s such a relaxed, safe environment on our show, the work is just happening and living and breathing around us. For me, as an actor, that’s so rare, so it’s not like I have to watch something to get there. I get to work next to [Thornton] almost every time I’m on set. He is always just incredibly authentic, and there’s no way to not be like that when you’re with him. It’s been an incredible gift to get to work next to him in the last couple of years.
STILL FROM “LANDMAN SEASON TWO. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT.
Billy Bob Thornton: Yeah, so I don’t think we had any influences, I don’t think we had to draw from anything. The chemistry was immediate. We just go with that. We go with everything that’s real. There’s no studying. People say, ‘Okay, there’s this thing on the page, and now we have to execute it,’ [but] we don’t feel like we’re executing anything. We just go to work and be real in the scenes.
‘Being real,’ by the way, doesn’t necessarily mean just in the earnest scenes or the sorrowful scenes, where you’re giving your heart. You can be real in an absurd scene. In life, there is absurdity. We have, in all the various vibes in this show — from emotional to dramatic to dangerous to humorous — they’re all in the real world. In life, we have all that. These days, I think they try to separate things too much. They try to say, ‘Well, a drama has to be a drama, a comedy has to be a comedy.’ An over-earnest drama doesn’t have reality in it because that doesn’t really exist. Throughout your day, you’ll experience every emotion and every human condition. Real life is every one of the things in this show, and I think that’s why it’s struck a nerve with people. I think that’s why it became an international hit as opposed to more localized hit.
