Ali Larter Says There Was No “Handholding” While Filming ‘Landman,’ Taylor Sheridan Threw The Cast “Into The Fire”
I believe it…
The Paramount+ show is yet another certified Taylor Sheridan hit, which features a stacked cast of seasoned pros in Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, Andy Garcia, Sam Elliott, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, and Michelle Randolph.
It has once again had massive ratings in it’s second season, as Season 2’s premiere holds the title of the biggest season or series premiere ever for Paramount+. More than 9 million people viewed the first episode of the second season in the first few days it was available on the streamer. That number was more than triple what the series premiere of Landman did in 2024. And that viewership has carried on through the show’s sophomore run.
To put things plainly, people love the story of the Norris family and the drama of the oil industry in Texas. Much of that is thanks to the tremendous cast, which includes some strong female characters like Larter’s Angela, and Randolph’s Ainsley. Not all Landman fans are crazy about them and their storylines, but they add great depth to the life and chaos of Tommy Norris.
A lot of the criticism about Angela and Ainsley revolves around the idea that their characters are only present for sexualization. And there’s no doubt that the mother and daughter are often seen wearing swimsuits, or clothing that draws some looks. But the actresses and Taylor Sheridan have maintained that the wardrobe department does that intentionally in order to present two women that are confident and true to themselves.
The mother/daughter duo have great chemistry, though, and Ali Larter, who plays Angela, told people People that her bond off-screen with Michelle Randolph, who plays Ainsley, was forged in the fire, so to speak.
She explained that they really bonded during the filming of the first season, when there was no “handholding” and they were just thrown into everything:
“We spent a lot of time together, the first season, when there wasn’t handholding. There wasn’t, ‘You’re doing a great job.’ You kind of were thrown into the fire into a very high-pressure, high-octane set.
It was really amazing that we had each other to lean on, and so I think that that really formed this bond [between us].”
Larter said that a lot of that magic has to do with how Sheridan and Christian Wallace, Sheridan’s co-creator for the show, casted Landman:
“Taylor is masterful at casting. He just is. I don’t know how he knows who’s going to get along and what’s going to work and what doesn’t, but it just works.”
Larter added that Randolph is “an amazing person”:
“She’s a talented actress and just, she’s the best.”
Whether you like their characters or not, I think it’s clear that Larter and Randolph have formed a really special relationship both on and off screen, which certainly lends itself to the authenticity of their characters.
Larter previously likened Sheridan to a “provocateur” who
“Loves to write characters that make people respond, that initiate a reaction, a feeling. I think that what’s incredible about our show, and a lot of the shows that Taylor makes, is that they’re all wildly original and authentic to themselves.”
I think that’s pretty clear by how he writes for Angela and Ainsley, who only add to the complexity of the shows star Tommy Norris, played by Billy Bob Thornton. Everything revolves around his career in the oil industry, which Sheridan has made incredibly interesting, and Larter gives him kudos for that:
“It’s incredible how Taylor made oil fascinating, and the landscape. You would never know that — this is why he’s such a genius — you would never know on paper that this show would be so riveting or so many people would love it, different generations of people who live in different places.
That they find a connection to it, I think, is super fascinating.”
Sometimes, trial by fire is the only way to do it, and it’s clearly worked for Sheridan thus far… it’s probably the reason he’s able to churn out as many hit shows as he has.
The show is really starting to heat up, and I won’t give anything away, but the next episode airs tonight exclusively on Paramount+.
The post Ali Larter Says There Was No “Handholding” While Filming ‘Landman,’ Taylor Sheridan Threw The Cast “Into The Fire” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.