‘Landman’ Star, Michelle Randolph, Says She Was Incredibly Nervous To Meet Billy Bob Thornton, But They Had An Instant Connection: “He’s So Cool… He’s Already My Dad”

Sounds like they had an instant connection.

The second season of Landman premiered back in mid-November, and the show boasting a cast of Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, Andy Garcia, Sam Elliott, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, and Michelle Randolph – among others – once again had massive ratings.

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.

So it’s another Taylor Sheridan hit, and of course, the entire show revolves around Billy Bob Thornton’s character Tommy Norris, who is an oilman doing his best to juggle the complications of the Texas oil industry with his rather intricate and sometimes explosive family life. If it feels as though Thornton is the perfect fit for the role, that’s because he is. Taylor Sheridan handpicked him to play the Landman lead, as the show creator does with many of his shows.

And one of the focal points of the show is Thornton’s relationship with his daughter, Ainsley Norris, who is played by actress Michelle Randolph.

They have a unique relationship, I think that’s the best way to describe it, and Randolph was basically handpicked for her role in Landman after she starred in Sheridan’s other Yellowstone spinoff project 1923. During an interview with ExtraTV, the 28-year-old said that she feel incredibly grateful getting to star in two programs that have had such a cultural impact:

“I feel like I’m pinching myself every single day. Booking ‘1923’ was like the greatest experience of my life and working with Helen Mirren was so special.”

The first season featured a viral scene between the onscreen father and daughter, and the one that most people will remember was when Ainsley told her father about her sexual relationship with her boyfriend. In case you missed it, I’ve included it below… prepare to have your jaw dropped:

In 2015, Taylor Sheridan started his writing career with “Sicario” (then “Hell of High Water”, “Yellowstone”)

In 2022, he bought 6666 Ranch in Texas for $320m. He paid for it with a 10+ show deal with Paramount, which is how we get this “Landman” dialogue:pic.twitter.com/dRWkpiLDEA

— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) November 19, 2024

But other than that very unrealistic, weirdly inappropriate and unnecessary scene, Tommy and Ainsley have a sweet relationship, though Randolph recalled in an interview with eTalkCTV that she was very nervous to meet Billy Bob Thornton for the first time.

Of course, he’s a legendary actor, someone any young actor would do anything to work with, and Michelle says she and Ali, Thornton’s onscreen wife, decided to go together to meet him in Forth Worth. She says as soon as they met, all her nerves went away, and it was like he was “already my dad”:

“Oh, yeah. I was so nervous to meet him I met him for the first time with Ali, we had just gotten to Fort Worth, and we were shooting like a week and a half later. and we’re like, ‘Okay, let’s got together,’ because we had already become friends.

We were like, ‘Okay, let’s go together, we’re going to meet Billy.’ And we just both left there being like, ‘Oh. Oh, he’s so cool.’ He’s already my dad, I can do this.”

Everyone on set has talked about how easy he is to work with, and the cast all seem to get along really well, and I think that really comes through throughout the entire show.

But still, it’s completely understandable to be nervous to meet the legend himself… you can watch the clip here:

@etalkctv Aww we love to hear it! When ‘Landman’ season 2 star, Michelle Randolph dropped by our studio, she revealed what it was really like meeting her TV dad, Billy Bob Thornton, for the first-time, alongside costar, Ali Larter. ‘Landman’ season 2 is streaming now on Paramount+ #Landman #MichelleRandolph #BillyBobThornton #DemiMoore #AliLarter #TaylorSheridan ♬ original sound – etalk

Here’s a look at some of their best father/daughter moments from Season one:

The post ‘Landman’ Star, Michelle Randolph, Says She Was Incredibly Nervous To Meet Billy Bob Thornton, But They Had An Instant Connection: “He’s So Cool… He’s Already My Dad” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.