LANDMAN Star Ali Larter on His Fiery Character and with Billy Bob Thornton (Exclusive)

Landman has established itself as one of the biggest shows of the year and we were recently able to catch up with the show’s lead actress, Ali Larter (Final destination; Legally blonde; Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) to talk about playing one of the most fiery characters of his career.

Larter breaks down working opposite the legendary Billy Bob Thornton for the first time, as well as working for the first time with series creator Taylor Sheridan, and also addresses what brings his character back into the fold after a while of absence.

According to the synopsis, Landman East “Set in the proverbial boom towns of West Texas, Landman is a modern story of the quest for fortune in the world of oil rigs. The series is a high/low story of thugs and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, economy, and geopolitics.“

Billy Bob Thornton leads the series, with a supporting cast including 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 transcript. Also, don’t forget 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 like working with him and finding that chemistry that you need for a role like this?

Ali: I mean, you never know if you’re going to get it or not. I mean, Taylor is really proud of his casting, and with this casting in particular, it’s really special. And it all really worked, even the family dynamic that we felt with Cooper and Ainsley. I mean, it all works, and you really see it in that fabulous, awkward, brutally painful dinner, that big scene, that I love so much, where you can really see everyone together.

And with Billy, you know, he’s number one on the call list, and he sets the tone for how it’s going to go. And he is there, he is really present. He cares about the material. I always think he loves making films and telling stories, and so that’s something that’s inspiring. And he’s also very generous with the crew, you know, and we both approach it the same way, you know, there’s a tremendous amount of respect that we bring to the set every day, and it’s not still the norm in our industry, and it really changes the whole way of filming when you’re with someone so caring.

ROHAN: Tommy, Billy’s character, has a really stressful job and then, at the beginning of the season, we see your character Angela come back into his life, not only at an important time in his life, but also in the lives of his children. In your opinion, what is the reasoning that pushes her to return to the forefront at this pivotal moment?

Ali: That’s a great question. I think, you know, this show takes place in the world of oil in the Permian Basin, and when you look at Tommy and Angela, when they fell in love, he’s their first love, you know, he’s the father of his children, and then, you know, you’re in this boom and bust comes. And you find out more and more in the series how her world completely fell apart and how she had to find a way to take care of her children.

So when she comes back and revisits, you know, her true love, it’s about figuring out how to piece it all together, whether she should or not, and then, you know, I think with Billy and I, a things What we wanted to put in this series is that these characters really see themselves, you know, and they don’t, they even like them, even with their faults and their weaknesses. And so I think it’s fun, and they like to have a good time, like they’re laughing, and it’s a very lively 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 lead her daughter, and I think Angela tries with everything she has in her, it’s just a little misguided sometimes.

ROHAN: This is your first time working on a Taylor Sheridan show and I imagine it’s a very unique experience. What was your experience like working closely with Taylor and delivering this performance?

Ali: Look, I mean, my first day on set, you know, I’m on a G5, there’s a crew of 300 people, there’s cameras rolling in the air, and all of a sudden, I I hear action, and I say to myself, there is no repetition, there is no blocking. I haven’t even heard this scene out loud yet, and all of a sudden the door opens and I have to go. It was just, look, it’s a high stakes game when you’re working with Taylor, and he’s very wild, just like Texas.

So you better be up for it, and you better be ready, and you better be able to handle the heat when you’re working with him. And so for me, it felt like I was so prepared that no matter what environment I was in, I was able to deliver on my promises. 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 say a word to me, you know, and one thing he said to me, he kept pushing me to get bigger and wilder and ah, and I was like, Taylor, it’s is too much. And he said, you know, it’s too big, and he said, there’s no big if there’s emotional depth. And the way 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 emotional.

Set in the proverbial boom towns of West Texas, LANDMAN is a modern story of the quest for fortune in the world of oil rigs.

The new original drama series will star Academy Award 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. Swans). Jon Hamm (Mad Men) will star in a recurring guest role with Andy Garcia (Exendables franchise) and Michael Peña (End of Watch) also guest starring.

Landman is now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes every Sunday!