Billy Bob Thornton reveals one huge change he wanted for Tommy Norris in ‘Landman’ Season 2: ‘I’ve birdlegs…’
There's no doubt about the fact that Taylor Sheridan's 'Landman' is heavily dependant on Billy Bob Thornton and his moving portrayal of the protagonist Tommy Norris. The premiere of the debut season of 'Landman' last year was a landmark event in the sense that it managed to grab around 35 million eyeballs in terms of global viewership right its premiere episode, as per a report by USA Today. This success has so far only been matched by the other crown jewel within the Sheridan-verse i.e. 'Yellowstone'. Despite the Paramount+ show reaching such heights of acclaim and praise, and with the upcoming second season dropping on November 16, Thornton recently revealed that he had specified an important change in the characterization of his character of Tommy for the sophomore season.
Blending his quietly intense acting skills with a healthy dose of aggressively talking down his opponents, Thornton's portrayal of Tommy has drawn appreciation from all quarters. This is evident from the show's 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with the validation from American Association of Professional Landmen who have credited Thornton's portrayal of Tommy to be "the most believable land boss ever". It goes without saying that the upcoming sophomore season of the show has quite big shoes to fill when it comes to audience engagement.
Despite his performance having been generally praised, Thornton recently revealed that he was up to be a part of the show for as long as the makers wanted him. However, he had suggested one important changed that he described in his words as: "The first season, my jeans were so baggy. And I've got birdlegs, so it looked like clown pants. I asked the costume department, 'Can we bring them in a little this season?' So this time they tailored them just a little bit more."
Apart from his renewed stardom, Thornton also commented that he seems to have unlocked a new level of popularity for himself after starring in the Paramount+ show. This is especially insightful, coming from a versatile artist such as Thornton, who first scored big at the Oscars as the writer for 'Sling Blade' back in 1997. In the past decade, his appearance on FX's 'Fargo' was particularly memorable as well.
Towards the finale of the debut season of 'Landman', Jon Hamm's Monty Miller succumbed to a heart attack, leaving behind the empty seat of M-Tex's CEO. The sophomore season is expected to find Cami Miller stepping up to take charge of M-Tex, while '1883' star Sam Elliot will be joining the show to play Tommy's father TL. Other returning characters include Andy Garcia as Gallino. All throughout the debut season, Tommy was seen putting one fire after another while dealing with rivals, cartels and oil rigs blowing up.
