Landman has firmly established itself as one of the biggest shows of the year and we were recently able to catch up with the show's leading lady Ali Larter (Final Destination; Legally Blonde; Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) to talk about playing one of the most fiery characters of her career.
Larter breaks down working opposite the legendary Billy Bob Thornton for the first time, as well as working with series creator Taylor Sheridan for the first time, and also gets into what brings her character back into the fold after some time away.
As per the synopsis, Landman is "Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics."
Billy Bob Thornton headlines the series, with a supporting cast consisting of Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chavez, Kayla Wallace, Mark Collie, James Jordan, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm.
Watch our full video interview with star Ali Larter ("Angela Norris") below and/or keep scrolling to read the transcription. Plus, please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: This is your first time working with Billy Bob Thornton. What was your dynamic working opposite him and finding that chemistry you need for a role like this?
ALI: I mean, you never know if you're going to have it or not. I mean, Taylor definitely prides himself in his casting, and with this cast, in particular, it's really special. And the whole thing just really worked, even the family dynamic that we felt with Cooper and with Ainsley. I mean, all of it just works, and you really see it in that fabulous, awkward, brutally painful dinner, that big scene, which I love so much, where you really get to see everybody together.
And with Billy, you know, he's number one on the call sheet, and he sets the tone for how it's going to be. And he's there, he's really present. He cares about the material. I still think he loves making movies and telling stories, and so that's something that's inspiring to be around. And he's also really generous with the crew, you know, and both of us approach that the same way, you know, there's a tremendous amount of respect that we bring onto set each day, and that's not always the norm in our industry, and it really changes the entire way of shooting when you're around someone who is that thoughtful.
ROHAN: Billy's character Tommy has a really stressful job and then, at the beginning of the season, we see your character Angela return to his life, at not only a big time in his life, but also in her children's lives. What would you see her reasoning is behind coming back into the picture at this pivotal moment?
ALI: It's a great question. I think that, you know, this show is set in the world of oil in the Permian Basin, and when you look at Tommy and Angela, when they fell in love, it's first love, you know, it's the father of her children, and then, you know, you're in this boom and the bust happens. And you find out more and more in the show how her world completely crumbled, and how she had to find a way to take care of her children.
So, as she comes back and revisits, you know, her true love, it's figuring out how to put that back together, whether she should or not, and then, you know, I think that with me and Billy, one of the things that we wanted to put into this show was that these characters really see each other, you know, and they don't, they love them even, like even with their flaws and their weaknesses. And, so I think that that's fun, and they love to have a good time, like they're laughing, and it's a very alive relationship. So, that's what I think she's doing, and I also think, you know, her son is now getting involved in the oil business, and she's trying to direct her daughter, and I think that Angela tries with everything in her, it's just sometimes a bit misguided.
ROHAN: This is your first time working on a Taylor Sheridan show and I can imagine it's a very unique experience. What was your experience working closely with Taylor and bringing out this performance?
ALI: Look, I mean, my first day filming, you know, I'm on a G5, there's a crew of 300, there's cameras whipping through the air, and all of a sudden, I hear action, and I'm like, there's no rehearsal, there's no blocking. I have not even heard this scene aloud yet, and all of sudden, the door opens and I gotta go. It was just, look, it is a high stakes game when you're working with Taylor, and he's very wild west, just like Texas.
So, you better be game, and you better be ready, and you better be able to handle the heat when you work with him. And, so for me, it was just like being so prepared that no matter what environment I was put in, I was able to deliver. That was a really big part of it for me. I also feel like, you know, Taylor and I have a shorthand, and when he wants to come in and give me a note. He can just give me like one word, you know, and one thing he said to me, he kept pushing me to go bigger and wilder and ah, and I was like, Taylor, it's too much. And he goes, you know, it's too big, and he said, there's no such thing as big if there's emotional depth. And, how he wrote this character, and how I built her, is filled with emotional depth, so it gave us the freedom for her to be so wild and so passionate and so emotive.
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, LANDMAN is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs.
The new original drama series will star Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton. In addition to Thornton, the series stars Ali Larter (The Last Victim), Michelle Randolph (1923), Jacob Lofland (Joker 2), Kayla Wallace (When Calls the Heart), James Jordan (Yellowstone), Mark Collie (Nashville), Paulina Chávez (The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia), and Demi Moore (Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans). Jon Hamm (Mad Men) will star in a recurring guest role with Andy Garcia (Expendables franchise) and Michael Peña (End of Watch) also serving as guest stars.
Landman is now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes every Sunday!