The stars of Landman have reunited to launch Season 2 in London, after becoming Paramount's most streamed show. Report by Nelsonj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
00:00I love the hat, by the way. I'm a hat man myself.
00:16Thanks, bud. Lansky's, Memphis, Tennessee.
00:19I'll give it a Google later. I don't know if my missus will be happy if I buy another one, though, to be honest at the moment.
00:24Billy Bob Thornton, hello, sir. Congratulations on the success of Landman, the most streamed show on Paramount Plus over the last couple of years.
00:31I wonder, when does the alchemy of success become apparent to you when you've got a good script, strong characters, a clear vision, and actors, a cast of actors that all give each other the space to really go to work?
00:44Well, you know, the good news is you always hope your latest project is the best, and I can honestly say this thing fits like a glove.
00:54Taylor writes specifically for people. You know, he wrote this for me, and then when he casts it, he knows how he's going to write them.
01:02And the thing about him as a writer, you know, some writers write in one voice, and Taylor writes in, you know, there could be 50 people in it, and each one's got a different voice.
01:14And it really, the chemistry of this cast was instantaneous.
01:19I mean, it was never anything that we had to struggle to get into. We had a natural chemistry, I mean, especially like Ally and myself, and Michelle Randolph, who plays my daughter, and Jacob plays my son.
01:35We just, it was easy. It's, it's, it should be. If you're having to struggle, you're doing something wrong.
01:42There's an old adage of Hollywood that, like, male actors get better and better roles as they get older, and female actors often don't.
01:49It feels there's a bit of a sea change at the moment. I mean, even you look at the difference between season one and season two of this, Demi's role has kind of grown to an extent.
01:57It gives her so much stuff to, like, to work on. What was it like kind of going to work and going to war together as old friends, and being able to see her fly in particular in season two?
02:06Yeah, I mean, it's, it's been wonderful. Between Sam and Andy Garcia and Demi, I've known them all for, you know, 30 something years. And so, it's, it always helps when you know someone and you have to get used to each other.
02:25And that thing you said about, you know, female characters. Yeah, I think times have changed a little.
02:31It used to be that a male actor could be a leading man until they're 95 and have a 25-year-old girlfriend.
02:41And it wasn't so much that way for a female actress, but I think it's improving.
02:47But the thing about this cast, it's a group of people who just work together somehow.
02:53It's just, there's a, just this natural chemistry with all of us.
02:57I love his wife, like so.
02:58Um, I, well, I think that it's a journey of, of discovering that her world may not be all of what it seems.
03:06And what you do with that. And, and, and I think it's the drive and passion to hold on to the last vestige of Monte.
03:15Um, and, and to leave a legacy for him, um, because losing the company with me, losing the last piece that she has.
03:24Very quickly, I'd like to see you, uh, writing and directing again.
03:26I'm a big fan of Sling Blade. I thought that was a fantastic piece of work.
03:28Oh, thank you.
03:29Are we gonna, are we gonna see any of that going forwards?
03:31Well, most, most of my writing is based on novelists and not screenwriters.
03:35And it's also based on Southern literature for the most part.
03:38And I just don't know if that's relevant now, you know.
03:41And directing and writing takes a year and a half at least out of your life.
03:45And, you know, I've been around a while.
03:48And I, I think, uh, between music and, and this, I, I think that's enough.
03:53I would like to do it. I just don't know if there's time.
03:57Well, mate, I'll be crossing my fingers and keeping my eye on the horizon.
04:00You never know. I might do it again.
04:01I'm hoping I've planted some seeds there.
04:03All right, buddy. Pleasure to meet you. Good little with the rest of the season.
04:06Thank you for saying that, by the way.
04:07Oh, mate, it's, it's true. It's true.
04:09These opportunities to say what you actually, the thing you'd want to say if you meet someone on a bus.
04:13So, uh, it's better to let people know when they've inspired you in something.
04:17That is very nice of you. Thank you.
04:18Thanks, pal. Pleasure.
04:19Hiya.
04:20Ali, hello, hello, hello.
04:21Congratulations on the continued success of this show.
04:24But indulge me for a second. I bloody loved Heroes.
04:27Oh, thank you so much.
04:28I even have a memory, a core memory of injuring myself whilst running home to get back to watch that show,
04:33which is quite unique.
04:34That's amazing.
04:35And the only thing.
04:36I hope you're okay.
04:37I'm okay.
04:38I'm okay now.
04:39Not forever scarred.
04:40I've had a few years now to recover.
04:41Okay.
04:42The ankle's back to, back to full strength.
04:43It does make me wonder though, the comparison between the success of a show back then and
04:48a success on streaming, how does that like feel for you guys?
04:50Do you get the same like instant feedback of people stopping in the street going, I'm loving this?
04:54Or does it take a little longer?
04:55That's interesting.
04:56That's a great question.
04:57You know, I think one of the through lines between the two shows is that unexpectedly,
05:03they both became international hits.
05:05When we did Heroes, it connected with people on this level that normally people want to
05:10believe in something greater than themselves.
05:12They want to believe in the possibility and there was hope within that world of kind of
05:16sci-fi.
05:17You know, it was really beautifully written the first season.
05:20And we went all over the world with that show.
05:23And then with this, we never thought, we were humbled by the fact that so many people love this
05:29show about West Texas, Midland, Odessa, Fort Worth, you know, and our eye into like this
05:34dysfunctional, crazy family.
05:36So it's the difference.
05:38No, I don't see any difference of the fans.
05:40I mean, I'm just like so grateful and it feels similar.
05:44I wanted to believe that I could jump over a fence on the way home to watch Heroes back
05:48today.
05:49And there was two of you?
05:51Yeah, there was two of us.
05:52I might have had a beer beforehand.
05:54I like it.
05:55Tell me about the work of like Taylor Sheridan.
05:57Why do you think his work kind of, I can understand why kind of middle of America would
06:02love his shows in Yellowstone.
06:03It's very kind of Americana.
06:05But the fact that it does travel and people over here in England love it as well.
06:09What is it about his writing that speaks to people, do you think?
06:12I think they are achingly authentic characters, unabashedly original characters.
06:17Honestly, I think that with our show, there is this dysfunctional family that's messy and
06:22beautiful.
06:23And it's not just like there's a happy scene and then, you know, they're fighting.
06:27It's complicated.
06:28And it doesn't exactly line up.
06:30But I think that people relate to that on like, you know, in humanity.
06:33They relate to that in relationships and with their children and in their love stories.
06:37So that's what I think Taylor does really, really well.
06:40I think he casts really well with his show.
06:42Like, I don't know how he knows when people are going to have a chemistry or they don't.
06:45But you can feel that in all of his shows.
06:47Yeah.
06:48And I think that his writing is truly like it's like it's mastery because he changes tones
06:55unlike any other show we've ever seen before.
06:57Billy and I talk about it all the time.
06:58And no one's ever done this where you're taking comedy and high stakes, drama, action,
07:05you know, all these different moments and putting them together in the same show.
07:09Very rare.
07:10And you mentioned the cast, you mentioned like the idea of family.
07:14I think on a lot of successful shows, and it certainly seems on this one,
07:17the cast have given each other kind of the respect and space to kind of go to town.
07:22Yes.
07:23Kind of thing on this.
07:24And that doesn't always happen.
07:25I wonder when that kind of alchemy becomes clear to you when you're working on a show
07:28that there's something about this which feels right.
07:31You know, I mean, Billy and I met like a week before we started filming.
07:38It was with me and Michelle and his wife Connie and Tom.
07:41And, you know, we kind of, you know, you kind of dance on other sides of the room for a little while,
07:45you know, like sniffing each other out.
07:47And then we went outside to chat and we just kind of dropped in.
07:50And then we just like, he's really open and honest as a person.
07:54And so we were able to kind of find moments of connection by really just telling each other about ourselves.
08:00He's also just a really generous actor.
08:03So with that, like you're always relaxed and you're always, you know, he's always authentic.
08:07So it just brings the best out of everyone.
08:09And finally, going forward, season two and beyond.
08:13I know a lot has been spoken about Taylor kind of signing this new deal.
08:17Yeah.
08:18A billion dollar new deal somewhere.
08:19But I've also read that, you know, the stories involved in this,
08:22I feel the first season was set over, what, like a week or something?
08:2610 days.
08:27Like 10 days.
08:28How much more can we mine, excuse the pun, out of this show?
08:32Where do you see it going?
08:34That's what I think.
08:35I think there's far that it can go.
08:37Because the first season is really about setting up oil and showing the dangerous cost of that to so many lives.
08:42This season goes in a totally different direction.
08:44This goes deep into the family.
08:45This is like an intimate story that's like the heart season.
08:48And so I already think I know what next season is.
08:51I'll tell you next year if I was right or not.
08:53But you get a feeling about what his vision is.
08:56And Taylor sees things in many, many seasons.
08:59If we have the luck to get there, hopefully so.
09:01And if not, I'm grateful that we've gotten this far.
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