Landman season 1: Why Billy Bob Thornton signed on

The premiere of Landman season 1 arrived on Paramount+ today, and there is no denying that Billy Bob Thornton has a lot to do.

Even though there are a lot of big names in the show including Jon Hamm and Demi Moore, it is pretty clear that Thornton is the star here. He dominates when it comes to air time, and we see a lot of the world of the Texas oil fields through his lens. This is a role he pours a lot into, and it turns out that Taylor Sheridan worked to put it together with him in mind.

So did this bit of casting come with its own pressure? It is easy to say that, and Thornton discussed that very subject to The Daily Beast:

For sure. I had pretty much agreed to it even before I read the first script, to be honest with you, which I’ve only done a couple of times in my career. I did that with the Coen Brothers once when I did The Man Who Wasn’t There. They called me on the phone, both of them were on, and they said, how would you like to play a barber in 1949? I said, yeah, I’d love to [laughs]. You just know the stuff they’re going to do is going to be great.

Judging from the first two episodes alone, it is easy to understand a little bit of what made Tommy so compelling. He has an extremely hard job, and he has to figure out how to handle tending the oil fields while also dealing with his son working out in them. Meanwhile, his daughter is completely oblivious about much of the world and he spends must of the time with his ex-wife arguably about one subject or another.

Related – Be sure to get some more news on Landman now, including what else is next

What do you most want to see through the rest of Landman on Paramount+?

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