Billy Bob Thornton is getting on the Taylor Sheridan prepare and able to journey all of it the best way to the financial institution.
This Sunday marks the premiere of Sheridan’s newest everyman drama, “Landman,” which follows Thornton as Tommy Norris, a disaster govt working within the West Texas oil fields introduced in to deal with fires and different catastrophes. Whereas chatting with The Hollywood Reporter just lately on the present’s Los Angeles premiere, Thornton informed the publication that Sheridan’s grounded storytelling was his most important purpose for getting concerned within the venture.
“Individuals are hungry for human tales,” mentioned Thornton. “Lately within the theaters, it’s primarily occasion motion pictures and superhero issues and animated stuff and all that; there are a couple of human tales to return via. However this stuff are like a 10-hour film that discover human beings. And I feel individuals are hungry for that and I feel that’s why they relate to Taylor’s stuff.”
To sweeten the deal for Thornton, Sheridan additionally informed the actor/filmmaker/musician that he’d written the collection particularly round his model and voice.
“I went to the [‘1883’] premiere in Las Vegas, and after that we had a dinner and Taylor sat subsequent to me and he mentioned, ‘Pay attention, I’ve acquired a factor I’m going to jot down round you. It’s referred to as ‘Landman,’ it takes place within the oil enterprise, and I’m going to jot down it in your voice as a result of I feel I’ve identified you lengthy sufficient now to jot down in your voice,’” Thornton mentioned to THR. “And after I learn the primary script I used to be like, ‘Wow, you probably did, didn’t you?’ As a result of I learn it and was like, ‘Yeah, that’s form of me if I had been a landman.’ So, it was fairly superior.”
As reported by IndieWire, throughout a Q&A following a current screening, Thornton additionally in contrast the present with the 1956 Western epic “Big,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean in his last function.
“Nice film about oil in West Texas,” mentioned Thornton of the movie. “And after I first heard about this from Taylor, I believed: ‘Big.’ This can be a extra intense, extra harmful, and extra humorous model of ‘Big.’ It goes 10 episodes. It simply will get an increasing number of of every of these issues. However what you get to have a look at is seeing how the oil will get out of the bottom, the way it impacts the people who find themselves concerned in it.”
Although Thornton confirmed nice confidence within the materials and a willingness to get his palms soiled for the half, he does hope he doesn’t screw up Sheridan’s golden streak as of late. He mentioned to THR, “Please don’t let me be the one which makes it flip to pewter!”
The primary two episodes of “Landman” premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, November 17.