From the North Pole to the Texas oil fields, Billy Bob Thornton‘s Landman role was influenced by one of his other iconic characters.
Series creator Taylor Sheridan recently revealed that he referenced Thornton’s titular role as Willie T. Stokes in 2003’s Bad Santa when he pitched the Paramount+ series to the Oscar-winning actor.
“I said, ‘I want to make a drama with Bad Santa running an oil company,’” recalled Sheridan on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “He’s like, ‘That’s the greatest f*cking thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Yeah, let’s do it!’”
Thornton starred as conman Willie in Bad Santa, a depressed, foul-mouthed alcoholic posing as a mall Santa to pull off as holiday heist with his partner Marcus (Tony Cox), who plays his trusty elf. The pair reunited for the sequel Bad Santa 2 in 2016.
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In Landman, Thornton plays abrasive crisis executive Tommy Norris, who struggles to run a West Texas oilfield following a fatal accident.
Thornton, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, previously admitted to Deadline that he was surprised by the show’s widespread appeal.
“We thought it was going to appeal to the middle of the country, that was the hope for it. We didn’t think the coasts would go for it — we certainly didn’t think it would become this huge international hit,” he said. “We had no idea; we’re humbled by that and very proud of it. We have fans in Uganda, Australia and everywhere else.”
Thornton added, “I think a lot of it, and this is just my feeling, it’s because the characters are all unabashedly who they are, and they’re just honest about everything. Taylor’s shows normally will have a vibe, and this has several — emotion and humor and drama and absurdity and danger, all those different things. I think the variety on it appeals to people.”