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‘Landman’ star Paulina Chávez reveals whether Ariana is 'open to exploring' her relationship with Cooper

Paulina Chávez discusses Ariana’s evolving bond with Cooper in 'Landman', teasing her character's emotional journey and the challenges ahead.

Taylor Sheridan’s Landman has taken audiences by storm, becoming a hit on Paramount+. It stars big names like Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm, and Ali Larter. One storyline that’s got everyone talking is the growing bond between Ariana (Paulina Chávez) and Cooper (Jacob Lofland). After the intense events of Episode 8, fans are eager to know where things stand between them. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Chávez shared her thoughts on the pair’s connection and what it’s like working with Lofland to bring the relationship to life.

When asked about Ariana’s feelings for Cooper, Chávez explained how much care has gone into crafting their story. She said, “Yeah, definitely, when we received all the scripts, all of us had a conversation with Taylor about how our characters develop in our arcs and our storylines.” She added, “Taylor Sheridan wanted to tell Cooper and Ariana's story correctly and authentically, and I do believe that it is a beautiful flourishing, whatever it is. Relationship, friendship, I think any good relationship starts with a foundation of friendship, and that's what Ariana and Cooper have.”

For Ariana, Cooper represents something completely new. Having thought she already had the love of her life with Elvio (Alejandro Akara), she’s now questioning everything. Chávez explained, “Taylor...thought that Elvio was the love of her life. And when you are with that person, you do, you do believe that that is the love of your life. And then, someone else comes around, albeit from unfortunate circumstances, showing you, ‘Oh, maybe that wasn’t the love of my life. What we had was beautiful, but it has nothing compared to what this is.’”

Still, the situation is complicated. A line from Episode 8 revealed that Ariana was with Elvio just three weeks earlier. Chávez too acknowledged how quickly things have shifted for her character. She admitted, “I don’t think she knows what it is, but she is curious because nobody’s ever treated her the way that Cooper has treated her.” She explained, “There’s also the sense of, ‘Oh my goodness, Elvio’s family is going to judge me. So many people are going to judge me. But is that something that should stop me from exploring this authentic human connection?’” Behind the scenes, Chávez and Lofland worked hard to bring authenticity to Ariana and Cooper’s evolving relationship. “On set, Jacob and I were very, very cautious in wanting to tell the story right,” Chávez revealed. “We were always having those discussions like, ‘Okay, is this coming across the way we want it to come across?’”

For now, Ariana and Cooper’s future remains unclear. Their relationship is full of emotional highs and lows, shaped by past heartbreak and the pressures of their world. As Chávez put it, “I think she’s open to exploring what it can be,” as reported by Collider. Fans will have to wait and see how this connection unfolds as the story continues.