Billy Bob Thornton Explains Why His “Landman” Scenes With Sam Elliott Were “Some Of The Hardest” To Film
on Jan 30, 2026
Sam Elliott Joined The Cast Of Landman During Season 2
Season 2 of Landman was all about relationships, particularly the relationship between Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) and T.L. (Sam Elliott).
Sam Elliott joined the cast of Landman in Season 2 to play T.L., the father of the show’s main character, Tommy Norris. As the season unfolded, we learned more about T.L.’s heartbreaking backstory, which gave the audience, and Tommy, a greater understanding of his attitude and actions.
While fans were excited to see Elliott in Landman, Thornton expressed similar enthusiasm. Prior to Season 2’s premiere, he said:
“I’ve known Sam for a long time. We’ve known each other since the ’80s, and to have him there is just a joy for me. He’s been a hero of mine my whole career, and I call him my friend, and he’s a great actor.“
Billy Bob Thornton Shares Why It Was Difficult To Film Certain Scenes With Sam Elliott
In addition to appearing in Landman together, Thornton and Elliott have co-starred in 1883 (another series from Landman creator Taylor Sheridan) and the 1993 Western film Tombstone.
Because Thornton has the utmost respect for Elliott, some of their Landman scenes proved challenging for him to film. But not because he was starstruck by Elliott’s presence. Rather, he had difficulty tapping into the anger behind certain scenes, because it was hard for him to be so brash with Elliott.
“Maybe not every actor is this way, but I can’t help it because I’m so codependent. Some of the hardest stuff I had to do was when I had to be abrupt to, or even mean with, Sam Elliott,” Thornton told Variety.
RELATED: SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE WATCHED THE SEASON 2 FINALE OF “LANDMAN”
Thornton added, “Sam and I are old, old friends. He’s been like a pop to me since I’ve known him in the ’80s. Sometimes, knowing the other human, it’s not as easy to just go for it. But you have to. You have to go 100%”
Thornton clearly got past that mental hurdle, because he and Elliott had their fair share of tense and flippant scenes in Season 2 of Landman. But they also shared some heartwarming exchanges, like the one in the video below.
Needless to say, fans are looking forward to seeing their characters’ relationship continue to develop in Landman’s third season.
