Billy Bob Thornton stars in this new drama from the creator of Yellowstone, taking viewers inside the West Texas oil boom
Any show from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan is bound to be high stakes, but from the first moments of Landman, Sheridan’s new series set in the world of oil rigs in West Texas, one can tell that it is life itself that hangs in the balance. Academy Award-winner Billy Bob Thornton stars as landman Tommy Norris, a crisis executive at an oil company who secures the leases and babysits the owners of the land on which oil is drilled. The first time we see him do his job, Tommy is negotiating land use with a drug cartel from beneath a burlap sack — and that’s not even the most perilous thing he encounters within the pilot.
To viewers that have come to love Sheridan’s worlds, from Yellowstone to Lioness, a perpetually looming danger is only part of the parcel. The other expectation from the multitasking creative is a group of characters that are both so broad and so specific that one can’t help but be intrigued. “It just kind of draws you into this world and you can’t look away,” says newest Sheridan-verse member Ali Larter (Heroes). “He brings in these characters that walk you through the story. Then he interlocks different storylines and everyone comes together to give you a different point of view of what’s happening. He’s incredible at that.”
Buzzing around Tommy are the members of his immediate family, who seem to add an extra layer of challenges to his already stressful occupation. His 22-year-old son Cooper (Jacob Lofland, The Son) has just started working as a roughneck — a person doing manual labour on the rigs — and no one seems to think he has the physicality or emotional strength for it. Tommy’s daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph, 1923) is pure trouble in a 17-year-old bikini-clad body. And then there is his ex-wife Angela (Larter), who injects a healthy serving of chaos into every situation but wants them all to be a happy family again. “You see her trying her best and giving it her all, but somehow things always go a little bit awry,” says Larter. “It is really fun to watch, the way that she presents herself thinking that she’s the best mother. Most people — everyone — will probably disagree, but she doesn’t see it like that.”
Like most of Sheridan’s unpredictable characters, Angela’s mercurial nature is also what makes her such a joy to portray. “She’s a wildcat,” says Larter. “She’s always looking for the fun, and I think that’s someone who’s really great to go on the journey with.” Tommy’s wife also has a broad spectrum of feelings. “She goes through a roller coaster of emotions in these scenes, and you never know where she’s going,” adds Larter. “Billy and I really worked on these characters, trying to figure out how to bring different depth to the relationship. The way that they see each other is really beautiful.”
With the speed of a Sheridan production sometimes feeling like a runaway train, Larter praises her co-star for keeping her connected to the track. “He’s just the best. He’s such a generous actor, and he sets the tone for how it’s going to be,” she says. “This was such a huge production. It’s high stakes when you’re shooting with Taylor, and you’re moving really fast. There’s no rehearsal or blocking, and you have to be able to bring it. Billy is able to make sure that he mines the material, but he’s not just a really inspiring actor, he’s also an amazing guy, the way that he treats the crew. He doesn’t lead with his ego. He leads with generosity and gives 110 per cent.”
Landman is based on the successful podcast by Christian Wallace, called Boomtown, about big oil in the Permian Basin. Wallace, a Texan writer who spent a year as a roughneck in the oilfields, drilling wells, brings a boots-on-the-ground perspective to the series he co-created with Sheridan. “Taylor’s from Texas and he definitely knows the world of oil. But Christian’s family grew up in the Permian Basin and worked within the oil world and on the oil rigs, so he’s able to bring an authenticity to this show that takes it to the next level,” explains Larter. “There’s just not a false beat, and part of that is because of Christian.”
For Larter, it was an entry into a world she knew little about. “I definitely found out a lot while we were filming — I did not know that there was oil in lipstick,” she says. “I also did a ton of research when I got the job.” Beyond her deep dive into the world of oil, Larter puts her faith in their creator. “This is his vision coming to life, and he has a way of being able to drop into these characters’ minds,” she says. “There were times where I thought it was going to be too over the top — he has a very specific vision for what he wants, and your job is to deliver it. And now that I’ve seen some of the show, I can keep my complete and utter trust in him from here on out.”
Landman, streaming on Sunday, December 1 on Paramount+