I remember watching 1883 for the first time and being absolutely gobsmacked by Sam Elliott’s performance. In it, he plays Civil War veteran and caravan leader Shea, and his tragic and heroic tale sees him lead a group of people west as they try to find new homes. It was a remarkable show, and a stellar performance from Elliott. So, you can imagine how incredible it was to hear the actor talk about that experience and returning to Taylor Sheridan’s universe of shows for Landman.
Like Billy Bob Thornton, I was pumped about Sam Elliott joining Landman. He’s outstanding in 1883, and the idea of him pairing up with Thornton for this project on the 2025 TV schedule was extra exciting. So, during my interview with the two actors, I asked about the 1883 star joining Season 2. Here’s what Elliott told CinemaBlend about being on this drama after his time on the Yellowstone prequel:
Oh my god, it's a lot easier on a physical level and probably an emotional level too. But it's just such a gift to continue on with Taylor and being able to say Taylor's words, particularly working with these guys.
I'd imagine that filming a show that does not require you to travel by horse and wagon at all times and takes place in the modern day is far easier. So, I get why Elliott was quick to note that Landman has been easier than 1883.
Meanwhile, “these guys” he’s referring to are the A-list cast members Taylor Sheridan and his team assembled for Landman. That includes Billy Bob Thornton, who leads the show as Tommy Norris, as well as Demi Moore, Ali Larter, Andy Garcia, Michelle Randolph and more.
However, the actor he spoke the most about working with was Thornton, which makes sense considering Elliott plays Tommy’s dad, TL, in the show. Along with them playing close characters on Landman, the two men’s history together played into this as well, as the A Star is Born actor told me:
The opportunity to work with Billy Bob and the rest of this cast as well, but particularly Billy Bob, after both of us have been in this game for so long, worked briefly on a couple of occasions, to get to play his dad and watch this relationship evolve, it's pretty special.
It is pretty special! Both Elliott and Thornton were in 1993’s Tombstone, and while Elliott played a major role in 1883, Thornton had a small cameo in it. So, they’ve known each other for a long time, and they have worked together before, but Landman is different because of how close their characters are.
So, I understand why it’s so “special” to Elliott, and Thornton too, who told me he cried when he found out who was playing TL. Plus, after seeing Tommy and TL’s emotional reunion in Episode 2 of Landman’s second season, I’m very excited to see the actors share even more scenes as the season goes on. It seems like the father-son duo's relationship is fractured, and the upcoming episodes will deeply impact it as they come back together for the first time in what seems to be years.
Now, to see just that and to watch Sam Elliott perform alongside Billy Bob Thornton and the Landman cast, you can stream new episodes every Sunday with a Paramount+ subscription.
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