‘I’m going to get your ass back to work,’ Sheridan texted Elliott who joins ‘Landman’ in Season 2.
Billy Bob Thornton connects ‘1883’ cameo to ‘Landman’ role
Billy Bob Thornton shares how his “1883” cameo as Marshall Jim Courtright led to his role in “Landman.”
FORT WORTH, Texas — Taylor Sheridan worked the text message to recruit “1883” star and Western acting legend Sam Elliott onto his modern-day oil series “Landman.”
The “Yellowstone” creator dropped a line last year just asking what Elliott, 81, was up to.
“I told Taylor that offers come in, but that he really spoiled me with ‘1883.’ That I was having a nice time at home,” says Elliott, speaking to USA TODAY from the “Landman” Fort Worth, Texas set. “And Taylor wrote back, saying, ‘I’m going to get your ass back to work.’ That was his comment. I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Sheridan, who keeps his cards close in all forms of communication, eventually revealed that Elliott would play T.L., the suddenly reappearing father of oil crisis manager Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) on “Landman” Season 2 (Paramount+ Nov. 16).
Elliott says he was dealing with some unspecified “medical b.s.” at the time, which made him hesitant to take the role. But Sheridan wasn’t taking “no” for an answer.
“Taylor told me, ‘Buddy, I’m not going without you,'” says Elliott. “It was the greatest gift.”
It’s Elliott’s most significant role since starring as grizzled former Union Army officer Shea Brennan, who led a westward wagon train with Dutton family ancestors James and Margaret (married couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) in Sheridan’s 2021 prequel series, “1883.”
“I hadn’t really worked since ‘1883’ until this came along, so I’m starting all over again,” says Elliott. “And I’m jumping right into the (expletive) pan of hot water. This is an established, very successful show.”
Thornton says it’s a “natural choice” for Elliott to play the former wildcat driller and iron-willed “Pops” to his hard-headed Tommy as the strained father-son relationship is explored throughout Season 2.
“There’s one person for Tommy Norris’s father, and it’s Sam Elliott. He’s got the spirit,” says Thornton.
Sam Elliott was at the Vegas table when ‘Landman’ was born
Elliott, who received an Oscar nomination for 2018’s “A Star Is Born,” raised a playful eyebrow at the age gap between himself and TV son Thornton, 70, who is just 11 years his junior.
“That’s cutting it close,” Elliott says, chuckling. “I guess T.L. got started really young.”
The good friends go back decades. Making the 1993 Earp-family Western “Tombstone,” Thornton commuted to set with Elliott, who played Virgil Earp, and Bill Paxton (Morgan Earp).
Nearly 30 years later, Elliott was floored when Thornton shot a lethal “1883” cameo as Fort Worth marshal Jim Courtright, which included a bar shootout.
“He came and did an acting masterclass in two days,” says Elliott. “As Billy was shooting the place up, I was like, ‘What the…?’ “
During a celebratory dinner following the 2021 Las Vegas premiere of “1883,” Elliott literally had a seat at the table as Sheridan pitched Oscar-winner Thornton on “Landman.”
“My managers were sitting closer and within earshot and told me that Billy Bob and Taylor were going to do this show together,” says Elliott. “And that was ‘Landman.’ “
Elliott watched Season 1 from his Malibu, Calif. home with his wife of 41 years, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” actress Katharine Ross. Leaving home for Texas for months of shooting has its challenges. But Elliott became an instantly beloved cast member while hitting his stride with Thornton like they’re really related.
“Sometimes, when you look someone in the eyes, it’s like you’re looking into them,” says Elliott. “That’s how it is with Billy.”
The Texas sojourn also represents a real family homecoming for the Sacramento, California-born Elliott.
Before Sam was born, his real father, Henry Nelson Elliott, moved the family from their Texas home to the Golden State, “and never let me forget that I was a Californian in a family of Texans,” says Elliott.
“My father died at 54, thinking I was a total idiot for wanting to be an actor, because there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of making a career out of it,” says Elliott. “I really wish he were alive to see this. Because all of this would really tickle him. And he would be proud.”
Jacob Lofland’s Tommy Norris is third generation of ‘Landman’ oil men
There are now three generations of “Landman” oil workers. “Mud” star Jacob Lofland plays Cooper Norris, Tommy’s son, who starts his path as a roughneck on the oil patch. Life gets complicated when Cooper strikes oil in Season 2 with murky financial backing.
Born in Briggsville, Arkansas, Lofland, 29, grew up idolizing Thornton, who was born 80 miles to the south in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and set his Oscar-winning movie “Sling Blade” in Benton, Arkansas.
“I don’t know if there’s a house in Arkansas that hasn’t watched ‘Sling Blade’ on repeat,” says Lofland. “Billy is an Arkansas staple. He’s a hero of mine and my mother and father.”
With Elliott joining the cast, Lofland has icons playing both his TV father and grandfather. “Working with Billy and now Sam is like a dream come true,” says Lofland.
