Billy Bob Thornton knew playing an oil company crisis management specialist in The Landman was no easy task.
Thornton, 69, will appear in the Paramount+ series from executive producers Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, based on Wallace’s 2020 podcast “Boomtown,” which chronicled the effects of the historic West Texas oil boom. He plays the role of Tommy Norris, an evil oil tycoon fixer. Getting into a character means more than just getting your hands dirty. That shows it.
“He looks older in ‘Landman’ than he does in real life,” Thornton says, contrasting Norris with his fashionable ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter). “Tommy rarely combs his hair and never shaves. His hands and face are always dirty and dirty.”
For Thornton, this is a powerful introduction to the Sheridan Verse (which includes “Yellowstone” and “Tulsa King”). The actor, who spends much of his time touring with his band The Boxmasters, is more interested in his wife of 10 years than he was with ex Angelina Jolie (they were married from 2000 to 2003). He lives a much quieter Hollywood life with Connie Anglund.
The “Bad Santa” star and Oscar-winning screenwriter (1996’s “Sling Blade”) spoke to USA TODAY about “The Landman” (episode 3 airs Sunday).
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Question: You wear your Tommy Norris jeans pretty low on the hips, and they immediately give you a West Texas feel. How do you navigate that look?
Thornton: It’s low and even more noticeable when you tuck in your shirt. And I don’t have an ass. Not really. George Carlin would say, “He’s a man who needs to carry two wallets.” Ali[Latter]was always pulling up my pants on set. Every day she said, “Baby, come here.” And she literally came and grabbed them and pulled them up.
Tommy often barks at critics of his Big Oil career and lifestyle. Are you worried about meddling in politics by playing this crude character?
If someone deceived Tommy, he would protect his livelihood. That’s why he makes such abusive comments. But if a way to run cars and planes on water is discovered, oil companies will get into the water business. These businessmen just want to make money. There are no pros or cons to this show. It shows the good, the bad and the ugly of the oil business. But everything is politicized. Even if I make a movie about Jack the Ripper and the Jack the Ripper actor is great, that doesn’t mean people are going to like Jack the Ripper. We need to see this as entertainment.
We can all support Tommy in episode 1 when he demands a change from the bartender because the tipping culture is out of control, right?
And if you’re famous, you have to tip even more. Because there’s literally stories in the magazine sections about tips and things like, “This guy is cheap.” So, I used to tip 100%. My wife says, “If things continue like this, we’ll go bankrupt.” But I don’t want to be featured in magazines.
He co-stars with Demi Moore, who plays Cami Miller, the wife of oil company owner Monty (Jon Hamm). Was it a “lewd” reunion in the sense of the 1993 movie?
In “An Indecent Proposal,” I played a man named Day Tripper and did two scenes. I was there for six weeks, mostly on call, and then they cut one scene. But I got to know Demi and Bruce (Willis, Moore’s then-husband) really well, and Demi always brought the kids to the sets. Then I worked on three movies with Bruce. We were always very close.
Since you’re from Arkansas, you know that Tommy’s F-bomb proclamation against the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide will cause some backlash.
That was the one line I had to say and I was like “Dadgummit.” I’ve always liked (former Crimson Tide head coach) Nick Saban and am an Arkansas Razorback fan, but I’ve always followed Alabama. I love the people of Alabama and our band is very popular there. I hope they understand that this is just a TV show. Let’s not get carried away.
“Landman” pursues Pop-Tarts to the hilt, even comparing eating the highly processed breakfast pastry to smoking. What is this about?
There are many things you can eat for breakfast. But what is a Pop-Tart? There’s something like bread around this bread, and there’s almost nothing in the middle.
You are such an anti-Pop Tart.
I’m not against Pop-Tarts. i love them But I don’t eat it. I don’t eat any processed foods.
Tommy’s frequent drink of choice is Michelob Ultra, which is often the butt of his jokes. Is this strange product placement a natural choice?
I don’t think about product placement. But this is an interesting question. Because I’ve seen other shows that introduce products criticize the whole idea behind using them. Of course, I’m not drinking Michelob Ultra while filming. Whatever I’m drinking is 90% water. So I am well hydrated.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
