Billy Bob Thornton credits the “Landman” cast chemistry to Taylor Sheridan, praising the series creator for knowing who to cast and for what part. Their show is clearly a hit: 2026 kicked off with “Landman” leading the TV total viewer tally for the first five weeks of the year.
During a recent Q&A panel, presented by Paramount+, series stars Thornton, Ali Larter, Demi Moore and Sam Elliott gathered to discuss their characters’ journeys and how Sheridan and director Stephen Kay amped up the action to make Season 2 an even bigger success.
Season 2 follows Tommy Norris (Thornton) take on a new role as president of MTEX Oil, and focus more intimately on family dynamics, including his relationship with wife Angela (Larter). When asked how he and Larter developed their rapport, Thornton described the magnetism they felt upon their initial meeting at a cast dinner. “We just started talking and we had that chemistry. People say, ‘How do you build chemistry?’ I don’t think you can. I think it’s just there or it’s not. And we had it immediately.”
Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages for Paramount+
Angela’s chemistry with daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) is equally vital — the dynamic duo often supplies the series’ comic relief. “We just ran in holding hands being like, ‘I hope we’re doing something that people will want to watch,’ because it is hard to be the comedic relief in a show that is a very serious drama,” said Randolph, explaining her and Larter’s approach to their working relationship.
“We kind of went through the fire the first season of everyone figuring out their place and what the chemistry was,” Larter added. “With the comic relief of it, you just don’t see that in shows like this. And we now understand exactly where it fits in the show and how it’s needed and wanted for Taylor’s vision.”
The Norris family expanded in Season 2, introducing Elliott as T.L., Tommy’s estranged father. On joining the “Landman” cast, Elliott said he accepted the role “after having an experience with Taylor on ‘1883,’ and getting to know him, and being a part of ‘Taylor World’ if you want to call it that… it’s just a gift to be a part of it. Working with this caliber of actors and having that material that Taylor Sheridan generates consistently, you can’t ask for any more. We’re just so lucky to be here and do what we do.”
Thornton confirmed rumors that he cried after finding out Elliott had been cast. “That is the absolute truth. Taylor called me one night. He goes, ‘Hold on to your britches,’ and when he told me it was Sam, I went to my wife, Connie, and I was literally crying when I told her. Because I love this guy.”
The feeling was mutual for Elliott, who shared that his enthusiasm to take on the role was boosted by the opportunity to act alongside Thornton. “You know, we’ve worked together a couple of times briefly but I’ve watched his career forever. I love him too.”
Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages for Paramount+
Todd Williamson/January Images
While Elliott became the cast’s newest addition, Demi Moore was foregrounded as a major player, with her character Cami Miller taking up the mantle of MTEX CEO following her husband’s sudden death in Season 1. When asked how much she knew of Cami’s arc before filming, Moore said, “First season we had all 10 scripts but I wasn’t in very much of it. I had the gift of being able to watch the show objectively and really fall in love with everyone from the outside looking in, and then the privilege of being on the inside with everyone.”
For Season 2, Moore added, “I only knew the basic broad strokes of how I was going to be stepping in and we didn’t have the luxury this season to have the scripts all out in front of us to know where we were going. And that’s what makes it exciting and equally challenging.”
Other cast members spoke on rising to new challenges in Season 2, including Paulina Chavez, whose character Ariana Medina survived a vicious assault in the penultimate episode. Asked about the emotional and physical demands of filming that scene, Chavez reflected, “We didn’t really prepare for it emotionally because it’s such a heavy scene. And your body doesn’t differentiate what’s real and what’s not… I didn’t know how I was going to react to it.” She went on to praise the show’s team for their treatment of the subject matter, “I think it was done so respectfully. We had an amazing team and great support. I’m just really happy that I was able to do that with the ‘Landman’ family.”
Cooper Norris, Tommy’s ambitious son, played by Jacob Lofland, also experienced a key transformation as he labored to make his own way in the oil industry. Discussing how he portrayed Cooper’s growth over the season’s course, Lofland attributed much of his approach to Stephen Kay’s direction. “Stephen helped us tremendously in growing these characters. He’s so open and free and open to anything you want to try. Freedom is the word that sums up S.K. It’s a blast working with him.”
The rest of the cast spoke glowingly of Kay as well, noting his propensity for crafting on-set environments that encourage actors to experiment. “He never lets you have an inauthentic moment on camera,” Randolph shared. “When you feel supported and comfortable to try something new in a scene, that’s when you really get something magic. He has this way of making our sets feel like we are just putting on a small play for our crew.” Larter also emphasized Kay’s “extraordinary taste,” while Thornton commended his sense of humor — “the best of any director I’ve worked with in my lifetime.”
The show’s beating heart lies in Sheridan’s storytelling, which many cast members described as a gift. “There’s a certain amount that we want to do as actors to just have it all be our story. The truth is that we’re telling a full story that we’re a piece of,” Larter said.
“The thing about Taylor’s writing is that you know it’s going to be smart and rich and heartfelt and always with a surprise,” said Moore, adding, “He always leaves you with something unexpected, and that’s a delight.”
Sheridan keeps his cards close to the chest — a quality that Thornton personally loves. While Thornton has no clue what the creator is plotting next, the actor admitted, “My guess is that Season 3 is gonna be a combo of Season 1, which had more tension and danger, and Season 2, that was more about the wacky family and the oil business. It’s going to be an even combo of both.”
Season 2 of “Landman” is available to stream on Paramount+.
