‘Landman’ Star Kayla Wallace on Rebecca’s NSFW Bedroom Scene: It’s an ‘Uncomfortable Situation’ That ‘Makes Her More Human’
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from Season 2, Episode 4 of “Landman,” “Dancing Rainbows,” which premiered Sunday, Dec. 7, on Paramount+.
Rebecca Falcone is one of the most no-nonsense characters on “Landman”: A tough-as-nails lawyer who not only wants to keep up with her larger-than-life opponents in the oil game, but beat them into submission as well. That’s why it was fun to see her have a romantic spark with oil guy Charlie (Guy Burnet) on a turbulent private plane ride. While it’s great to see her crush opponents in the boardroom, seeing a softer side of the character opens her up to new dimensions and possibilities on the show.
Kayla Wallace, who plays Rebecca, told Variety she didn’t realize going into this season that audiences would see her character’s private life in this way.
“We were receiving scripts as we went along this season, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Wallace said. “I had no idea what was coming. That was so much fun, too, because every script that you get, you’re reading it like the audience, and having to shift and mess around with the way you’re playing things, because you have this new information coming.”
Despite Charlie being a charming hunk, Wallace said she was also intrigued by their plane connection, as they are such different personalities.
“He’s got this energy that is so opposite from the way she is, and especially in that situation, when they hop on the plane, and her anxiety starts to ramp up, he’s the cool cucumber that she needs, and he’s sitting right there,” she said. “It’s pretty funny that these two opposites are placed right next to each other and experiencing what Rebecca thinks is a disaster. For him, it’s just another day on the job.”
When it came to the pair’s hungover and barely dressed morning after hooking up, Wallace said the flirty scene pushed Rebecca out of her routine.
“It’s a very uncomfortable situation for her, but she’s so strong that she can handle it,” she said. “With Rebecca, for all of her career, she has had success at the very top of any priority over anything in her life. When she lets her guard down and ends up in this situation, it’s a bit jarring for her. It’s so much fun because you get to explore these new sides of her. ‘How would she react in this situation?’ As an actor, getting to play these vulnerable sides to her is a lot of fun as well, because it makes her more human.”
Ultimately, Wallace said this new chapter for Rebecca is just the latest great twist from “Landman” co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who has written every episode of the series.
“I love how strong he writes all of his women, and how beautifully loud they are in who they are,” she said. “He writes these women who are unapologetically themselves. We’ve got such a range on our show, too. Such different types of women, and they’re all so strong in their own way, but so different from one another. I’m honored I get to play a character that Taylor has written, because all of his female parts are written with so much strength.”
Relive Rebecca and Charlie’s chaotic meet-cute in the clip below.
