Landman’s Taylor Sheridan Unveils Which Storylines Are Designed to Ignite Controversy
Landman creator Taylor Sheridan candidly discussed how certain storylines were conceived from a place of spite.
In a recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, Sheridan, 56, shared that he deliberately sidelined Demi Moore in the first season. He recounted, “When I met with Demi, I told her, ‘Here’s the deal. You’re going to be an extra in this show for seven episodes, and the critics will come after me.’”
Sheridan aimed to create some drama with his choices.
“I’m ‘underutilizing this [actress], can’t write for women,’ all that nonsense. And then I’m going to kill your husband, and you’ll have to run the oil company,” he recalled informing Moore about her actual arc.
The upheaval was crucial for Sheridan, especially in pursuing his original vision.
“The critics and I, I don’t care about their opinions, and it really annoys them that I don’t,” he remarked. “I’ll admit that some of my choices are meant to provoke them a bit, and this is one.”
In another part of the episode, Sheridan mentioned that he withheld screeners for pivotal episodes detailing Moore’s more extensive role as Cami, stating, “because forget them, honestly.”
“I knew that when we shifted the entire weight onto [Demi], from the audience’s view, they’d just seen her as the housewife, in the background, living out this fantasy. So, we set her up by omission to be seen as someone who couldn’t handle this role,” he elaborated. “Not only does she have to overcome the perceptions of every character in this world, but she also has to tackle the audience’s preconceived notions. I let her demonstrate that in the first scene of season 2.”
Sheridan also highlighted Ainsley’s (Michelle Randolph) conflict with her nonbinary college roommate, Paigyn (Bobby Salvor Menuez), as a plotline meant to spark dialogue offscreen about his intentions.
“Paigyn, the roommate, [was] one of the few instances where the network and even some actors contacted me to say, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to speed up the resolution of Paigyn and Ainsley? Don’t you want to show them becoming friends in episode 9?’” he recalled. “I said, ‘No, for exactly the reason you’re mentioning. I want to irritate you a bit, and then you’ll watch next week and think, ‘Oh, you got me.’”
Based on the “Boomtown” podcast, Landman is Sheridan’s latest successful endeavor, joining the ranks of Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and Lioness. This acclaimed Paramount+ series stars Billy Bob Thornton as a corporate fixer working for an oil mogul in a dramatic setting fraught with life-and-death stakes.
Ali Larter plays Tommy’s (Thornton) wife, along with their onscreen daughter Ainsley (Randolph). Before filming began for season 3, Larter, 50, expressed admiration for how Sheridan crafts female characters in his shows.
“I love that he writes dynamic, powerful women,” she told Us Weekly earlier this month.
Larter eagerly anticipates what Sheridan has in store for her character, Angela, in season 3. She remarked, “Angela is a person who cherishes her family and enjoys life, and she has this enormous heart.”
She continued, “Playing her has been a dream. I never know what she’ll say next — but we figure it out on set — and it’s always a delight and an adventure to portray her.”
Landman is currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
