Taylor Sheridan's new drama series Landman is now streaming on Paramount+ and following its thunderous premiere last month, we were able to catch up with stars Jacob Lofland, James Jordan, and Mark Collie to talk about their roles in the popular new show, which is based on the Boomtown podcast hosted by Christian Wallace.
In our informative conversation, the trio break down working on a Sheridan show, while sharing details about their characters and offering some insight into why the series looks and feels so authentically Texas.
As per the synopsis, Landman is "Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics."
Billy Bob Thornton headlines the series, with a supporting cast consisting of Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chavez, Kayla Wallace, Mark Collie, James Jordan, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm.
Watch our full video interview with actor Jacob Lofland (“Copper Norris”), James Jordan (“Dale Bradley”), and Mark Collie (“Sheriff Joeberg”) below and/or keep scrolling to read the transcription. Plus, please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: James, you've worked with Taylor Sheridan before - what is it about him that makes him an exceptional person to work with?
JAMES: You know, he's a fearless storyteller, and in turn, you become a fearless performer when it's one of his one of his pieces. He pushes you, he inspires you, he protects you. And so, who wouldn't want to go to work with someone like that and do their best? And Landman's a prime example of that.
ROHAN: Mark, you're sharing a lot of scenes with Billy Bob Thornton - what was your experience starring opposite him and building that friendship on screen?
MARK: With Billy, he makes it very easy, and he's so real in every moment, whether he's over the top upset or whether he's, you know, asking a very personal question. He's so real that when I say my lines, they work perfectly, it feels so natural. It doesn't feel like we're acting, you know, and and really, at moments, we're really not, and Taylor's capturing that, and there’s some pretty exciting moments.
ROHAN: Jacob, your character has a lot to prove this season. Would you say he has something to prove to himself or to his father?
JACOB: Yeah, that's exactly it. I think it's more for himself, I think he's really trying to prove this for himself, and, at the same time, he knows that his father stuck his neck out a little bit for him, more than likely, and doesn't want to disappoint that or cause a problem there, either. But he's definitely doing this to prove to himself that he can. I don't think he's doing it for anyone else. That's kind of the hardest thing for the crews to understand. I think they picture him as just getting put here and not having to really do the work, and he's there to make a name for himself and to be that person that can carry the weight.
ROHAN: This series has a very authentic Texas feel to it, what do you Taylor and the team did that makes this series feel a little extra special?
MARK: The people, the casting makes it feel real.
JACOB: And, our locations, on top of that. It feels and looks real because it is real.
MARK: I mean, you can taste the dust when you watch these episodes.
JAMES: I mean, we're on real rigs, real patches. I mean, you know, growing up there, you would see these derricks, these vertical monuments to industry miles away, silhouetted by the beautiful Texas sun, and now we're there, and we're showing you the inside, inner workings of these folks and what they do. It's pretty remarkable.
JACOB: It’s never been seen.
MARK: The way Taylor is telling this story is you know these people in your own life, you see the blue collar workers, the people who get up before daylight and get home after dark, and you know that they're the American backbone, right? The bedrock. These are the families that make America go, you know, and these are the lives that they live. And some of them are, you know, it's a struggle, and there's joy and victory and loss, all the things that we know in life. And then, there's the humor of life, like the shower scene. I mean, there's humor, and who hasn't slipped and fell in the shower? Everybody… maybe not quite like James.
JAMES: Taylor is so gifted at up a window into a world and allowing the audience to peek through it, and he does it beautifully and so poetically in this story here.
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, LANDMAN is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs.
The new original drama series will star Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton. In addition to Thornton, the series stars Ali Larter (The Last Victim), Michelle Randolph (1923), Jacob Lofland (Joker 2), Kayla Wallace (When Calls the Heart), James Jordan (Yellowstone), Mark Collie (Nashville), Paulina Chávez (The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia), and Demi Moore (Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans). Jon Hamm (Mad Men) will star in a recurring guest role with Andy Garcia (Expendables franchise) and Michael Peña (End of Watch) also serving as guest stars.
Landman is now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes every Sunday!