Sam Elliott and Billy Bob Thornton play father and son on Taylor Sheridan‘s hit series Landman — but what is their real-life age difference?
While season 2 of Paramount+’s Landman introduced Tommy’s (Thornton) father, T. L. (Elliott), off screen Elliott, 81, and Thornton, 70, are just 11 years apart. Thornton weighed in on their small age gap as Landman explored the complicated family dynamic.
“You can look through movie history, and fathers or mothers have been close in age [to their children],” he told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. “It’s just a thing you do because you’re actors portraying someone.”
Thornton urged viewers to suspend their disbelief.
“If you put yourself in the right headspace, I would find a way to play Sam’s older brother. They would say, ‘But wait a minute, you guys are 11 years apart,’” he noted. “But yeah, we never think about that. … It’s all in the way we portray the characters and Taylor’s vision.”
Landman introduced Thornton as the corporate fixer working for an oil titan (Jon Hamm) while building up to its promise of plot twists. The season finale killed off Hamm’s Monty while Tommy was named the president of M-Tex before getting kidnapped — and severely beaten — by a drug cartel leader. Tommy is eventually released with the promise that he will work with the cartel.
Season 2 raised the stakes by shaking up the narrative with Demi Moore‘s Cami added into the mix more. Elsewhere in the show, Ali Larter‘s Angela, Jacob Lofland‘s Cooper, Michelle Randolph‘s Ainsley and more are at the center of their own drama.
Elliott signed a two-year Landman contract before Paramount+ officially renewed the show for a third season.
“I’m excited to see what unfolds in season 3,” Elliott told Extra TV. “I mean, we’re talking about season 2, but that’s backstory for us at this point. We’re all kind of looking toward April and May when we start shooting season 3.”
Thornton, meanwhile, signed on for four or five seasons of Landman, telling THR he would remain on the hit series “as long as I’m able” or “until the story runs out.”
Ahead of the season 2 finale, Kayla Wallance weighed in on what to expect — especially for her character Rebecca.
“People will get to see some more cracks in her personality,” she teased. “And she’s definitely going to face some challenges in the workplace too.”
Wallace specifically pointed out how Rebecca’s elevated role at M-Tex Oil will provide obstacles, saying, “This is such a big change for her. She’s always going to question her life and she’s always going to question everything and reassess.”
But fans shouldn’t be too worried.
“We also see her kind of growing into this family. M-Tex is in trouble and she’s there in an instant,” she noted. “You see this juxtaposition where it is not really a natural thing for her to be a team member. She’s kind of a lone wolf and one for her own but she’s holding onto the family a little bit.”
New episodes of Landman season 2 premiere via Paramount+ every Sunday.
