What Billy Bob Thornton taught him on set

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains mild spoilers from “Landman” Season 2, Episode 5, “The Pirate Dinner,” which premiered Sunday, December 14 on Paramount+.

Acting in ‘Landman’ is a dream job for Jacob Lofland, but there was one unique challenge for him as an artist. He plays Cooper Norris, Tommy’s son, who is the center of the series’ universe. But while everyone else in his on-screen family is always dressed in their Southern best, it’s often noted that Cooper — often toiling in the oil fields — smells bad or needs a shower and deodorant. It ultimately made Lofland paranoid that show co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who also writes every episode, might be trying to say something about his hygiene.

“I became aware of that at some point,” Lofland says, laughing. “I walked around after hearing that about three times last season and said, ‘You know what, I don’t do that.’ think I’m so bad. Have I just been to Taylor’s and something smells off?’ But I think it goes back to the character, and he spends so much time in the patch, and it’s always 100 degrees there. There’s not enough deodorant in the world to keep these guys from smelling the way they’re going to smell. Not to mention, oil and gas don’t smell great anyway, so there’s always sulfur in the air. I really hope that’s where it comes from.”

This season, Cooper gets more attention for his life choices than his scent. The ambitious young man makes some big changes, perhaps without thinking enough about them. In this episode, Cooper and Tommy have a lunch full of candid conversations. Near the end, Cooper sells his lucky-strike oil locations to his father’s company after Tommy makes it clear that his son’s new business partner, Gallino (Andy Garcia), will bleed him dry. Fortunately, Tommy rewards his son’s instincts by also offering him a job at M-Tex.

Unfortunately, Tommy doesn’t have much luck convincing Cooper to marry Ariana (Paulina Chavez) quickly, despite their fraught relationship.

Lofland says that while Cooper’s decisions may frustrate the audience, his impulsiveness is a major part of what drives the character.

“The reason I really fell in love with this character is that it’s relatable for his age and for what he’s going through at the time,” he says. “I’m a little older than Cooper; I’m 29 now, so I would make some different decisions. But I made those mistakes when I was younger too. Different companies, different things, but I definitely jumped into things when I didn’t know what I was doing. So I’ve learned that lesson over the years, and I think it’s important for him to go through that period in his life, make these decisions, mess up, learn from the mistakes, and not do it again.”

In terms of Lofland’s personal growth, he says working opposite Thornton showed him what it means to be a leader in a production.

“It’s so much fun; he makes it easy,” Lofland says. “He shows up every day, and Billy is our number one. So on every set, your number one sets the pace and the attitude for everyone else. Billy shows up ready to work every day and is excited about the job, which in turn gets everyone else excited. It just trickles down.”

This season also introduces Sam Elliott as Cooper’s grandfather, giving Lofland another veteran actor to model his on-set behavior after.

“The one thing I learned is that you never learn from a conversation,” he says. “It’s just being able to be around these men and women who have been doing this for so long, and watching the way they conduct themselves, the way they work, their ethics and their attitude. I think that teaches more and says more than any advice they could ever give. Sam and Billy, they’re so prepared, so professional. You never wait for them. They’re never the reason we’re three minutes behind. Everyone’s ready to go, and they’re so polite and humble, willing to keep working and take If there are questions or a scene isn’t going the way we think it should, let’s talk about it. Those guys are so good at that, that’s probably the most impactful thing for me.

As for the rest of the season, Lofland encourages fans to expect the unexpected in Cooper’s storyline.

“There will definitely be some growth, but I can tell you there are some things coming that no one is seeing,” he says. “There are some twists and surprises that I don’t think anyone has predicted yet. I can’t wait for the world to see.”