The Direct participated in the press junket for Paramount+'s Landman, where the cast and filmmakers behind the series spoke all about their time on the show, hopes for a Season 2, and keeping strong through the Texas weather.
The series, co-created by iconic creator Taylor Sheridan (the man behind the hit series Yellowstone), tells a new tale following Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy Norris as he navigates the chaos of the oil industry in Texas.
Alongside Landman co-creator Christian Wallace, The Direct also spoke with talented actors Ali Larter (Rebecca), Jacob Lofland (Cooper Norris), James Jordan (Dale), Mark Collie (Sheriff Walt Joeberg), Kayla Wallace (Rebecca), and Paula Chavez (Ariana).
Landman Creator Hopes for Season 2 & More for Oil Industry Epic
"I Hope We Keep Telling These Stories for a While."
Speaking with The Direct, Landman co-creator Christian Wallace confirmed plans for a potential Season 2, saying "as long as there are stories to tell," he hopes to keep the show going:
Wallace: Well, I mean, as long as there are stories to tell, I would love to keep telling them. And I think we really just skinned the surface on our first season, and that's saying something because they cover a lot of ground. So yeah, I hope we keep telling these stories for a while.
Paramount+ is surely expecting Landman to be a success and for it to run multiple series.
Co-creator Taylor Sheridan has produced four hit series for the streamer that have all lasted for two or more seasons, namely Mayor of Kingstown (which may stretch into four seasons), Tulsa King, Lioness, and the Harrison Ford-led 1923, whose second season is in post-production.
Landman, unlike Sheridan's 1883 and Lawmen Reeves, has not been billed as a miniseries or limited series, further pointing to the show's hopeful Season 2 renewal.
On what message he wanted to impart to audiences about the oil industry as a whole for Landman, Wallace hoped to "shine a light on the men and women who actually work in West Texas and oil and gas:"
Wallace: I think the biggest thing for me was the oil industry is such a wide, multifaceted, international thing. I wanted to put actual human faces in that and zone in on the personal stories. So shine a light on the men and women who actually work in West Texas and oil and gas, kind of like, you know, the downstairs of this industry that people, I think, don't tend to think about, and just tell those stories the best we could.
In prepping for the series, Wallace revealed that after he researched the oil industry, he was surprised by "just how big the industry is:"
Wallace: I guess just how big the industry is, as far as profits and where it ranks in industries across the world. It really is this massive, massive thing. And when you start to actually put numbers to it, which I'm not going to try to do here because I'll screw it up, but it really is just like kind of an unfathomable machine.
I was surprised by, you know, I worked in the oil and gas industry on a rig, and I was actually kind of surprised by how similar, in some ways, making TV and drilling for oil is. It's long hours, hard work, and in the end, you don't know for sure if you're going to hit gold at the end...
Ali Larter on Her Unique Filming Experience With Taylor Sheridan
"The Way that Taylor [Sheridan] Shoots Is Incredibly Fast, Incredibly High Pressure."
Ali Larter, who plays Angela, the ex-wife of Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy Norris, in the series, spoke about the high-pressure way that Landman co-creator Taylor Sheridan shoots his projects:
Ali Larter: The way the Taylor shoots is incredibly fast, incredibly high-pressure. And, you know, the first scene, actually, of the entire show is when I come off the G5, and it was a crew of 300, I'm expecting to rehearse. I'm expecting to do a run-through. See some blocking. Where am I landing? Get some eyelines. Nothing. 'Action!' I walk off the plane, and I am fully in this world, going into a huge scene with Billy and Michelle. And it was just like, it's the Wild West. But this is how this boy likes to direct. So get on board. I hang on tight.
All of Larter's scenes in the first two episodes of Landman are done over Facetime calls with her ex-husband. While those came first in the show, they were shot quickly towards the end of production:
Larter: We shot them, and we did them in three hours... We did it a month before we finished shooting. We were down there for five months. It was definitely an arduous shoot.
The actress went on to reveal that she was not offered this role initially and "had to audition three times and screen test 19 pages for it:"
Larter: I did not get offered this role. I had to audition three times and screen test 19 pages for it. I fought for this woman because I loved her the second I read the first page that he sent me, and I knew she was a wild cat.
And I also know that, like Taylor [Sheridan], loves to create, like powerful women, and he there's definitely a scene in episode five, I have a very, very long, eight-page scene where it's like, I'm leading the charge through this entire family dinner into like a full breakdown in the kitchen.
And I think that for me, it was always finding the humanity in her; she can be a little caustic, and she whips a bit, and she can be really tough. And for me, it wasn't interesting just to play that. I wanted to find, like how she showed her love. So sometimes where it was supposed to be kind of in one direction, I really found a way to find the humor in it, and that was a big part of her.
What Was It Like Filming Texas and Its Intense Texas Weather?
Landman was filmed on location in Texas, which was an experience many of the talent behind the show had something to say about, mainly focused on the state's intense weather conditions:
Christian Wallace: I'll tell you what, the Texas weather. There's a reason why people film in California, where it tends to be consistent and nice. I think we had a few nice days out there, but it was either really cold or really hot, and there were days where there was lightning and tornados. And I mean, it'll really put you through the wringer. And thankfully, we just stayed with it, stayed on track, and got it done. But yeah, there were definitely challenging days.
Ali Larter: We got a lot of lightning delays, and the weather is very intense. You think it's going to be hot, and all of a sudden, it's hailing, and it's 42 degrees. But you know, the show is set in Texas, and part of the show is like these long drives that Billy's on and how much land there is there, and it really sets the tone in the world that we're working in, which is West Texas and the Permian Basin. And so I think that being there was really incredible to be able to have that.
Paula Chavez: Oh my god, lightning delays. The wind, when they were on the rigs, they said it was super windy.
Kayla Wallace: Driving too, driving to work, I was like, 'Oh, I'm not in Kansas anymore.' They drive fast there, and you gotta keep up.
Challenges the Crew Faced Working on Landman
Actors Jacob Lofland (Cooper Norris), James Jordan (Dale), Mark Collie (Sheriff Walt Joeberg), Kayla Wallace (Rebecca), and Paula Chavez (Ariana) revealed what their most surprising challenge was while working on Landman:
Jacob Lofland: Probably the physically demanding as far as my character goes. I think that was the learning curve was probably the biggest part.
James Jordan: I eat a lot of beans and a lot of bad stuff [in the series], and just getting the mindset every day that I'm gonna eat six cans of beans today was a bit of a challenge.
Mark Collie: I think for me, the most challenging part was just getting over the reality that Taylor Sheridan was sitting on the other side of the camera, and Billy Bob Thornton was sitting right by my side... And that was turned into an adrenaline rush that was really super satisfying. But day one was a little bit, you know, but Taylor made it work. He makes you feel part of the crew on day one.
Paula Chavez: I think the most challenging part for me is that Ariana's story is so beautiful, and we wanted to get it right. And so that was always the challenge. And so having those conversations and making sure it was executed.
Kayla Wallace: I think for me, Taylor Sheridan puts a lot of trust in his actors, and you have some freedom with your blocking and the way you do things. So I'm personally not used to that. So, being able to show up with some ideas of adding your own personal touch was challenging and really exciting.
The full interviews with the cast can be found below (Christian Wallace's conversation was not on video):
Landman premieres on November 16 on Paramount+.
