Here's Why The Cast Of Landman Looks Familiar

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Westerns have always had a place on our television screens, but it came to full fruition once "Yellowstone" amassed massive popularity with its 2018 release. Thanks to Taylor Sheridan, a plethora of Western TV dramas have since had their resurgence through spinoffs like "1883" and "1923." His most expansive universe to date, "Landman," was released in 2024, which is a neo-Western tale depicting Texas billionaires uncovering the lucrative oil industry. Conflicts of money, power, and overall political status are all strong topics that are portrayed on the show, which pulls from some real-life events of the Permian Basin oil boom in 2019. The topic was covered in the Texas Monthly podcast "Boomtown," hosted by "Landman" co-creator Christian Wallace. However, the series' plotlines really came to life thanks to its impressive cast, including the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Ali Larter, among others.

This wouldn't be the first time Sheridan pulled a star-studded lineup, as the cast of "Yellowstone" was also littered with familiar actors like Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, and Wes Bentley. "Landman" also cultivated a string of actors who've all enjoyed impressive stints both in television and film. Although it might not come easy for those watching the series for the first time, that air of familiarity shouldn't be written off. From our laid-back protagonist Tommy Norris to the comedic relief Dale Bradley, along with the modern-day dream girl Angela Norris and the fiercely independent Ariana Medina, here's why the cast of "Landman" looks so familiar!

Before portraying "Landman" protagonist Tommy Norris, who juggles his role as a manager of M-Tex Oil and his personal familial issues, Billy Bob Thornton remained a prominent actor throughout the last four decades, making him one of the more familiar faces on the show. His coveted role as a leading man, however, did not show promise early on, at least according to well-known director Billy Wilder. While on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Thornton explained how he started out as a musician and later transitioning into acting, per the harsh advice he got from Wilder while working as a caterer. "[Wilder] goes, 'Forget about it.' I said, 'Why?' He said, 'You're too ugly to be a leading man, and you're too pretty to be a character actor,'" Thornton recalled. Instead, Wilder encouraged Thornton to write roles for himself to be part of, which led to his most successful acting gigs in "One False Move" and the award-winning 1996 film "Sling Blade."

Moving forward, Thornton did more to shatter this trope in projects like "A Simple Plan," "Bad Santa," "Armageddon," and more. He'd even find success later in his career thanks to shows like "Goliath," where he portrayed Billy McBride for four seasons. Aside from his career, Thornton also had a public relationship with actor Laura Dern and, most notably, Angelina Jolie, which also kept him in the public eye.

Although Demi Moore sustained a stunning transformation throughout her transition from '80s soap operas like "General Hospital" to '90s classics like "Ghost" and "G.I. Jane," there was a time when many of us stopped hearing about Moore as much. While she remained busy, Moore ultimately found that she was aging out of roles, an experience that single-handedly contributed to her impactful career resurgence in 2024. Before portraying Cami Miller, the widow of ex-M-Tex boss in "Landman," Moore accrued massive success in "The Substance," a 2024 film chronicling a once-popular TV personality's descent into obscurity after being deemed too old by producers to uphold on-screen appearances. Her inclusion in the film garnered widespread recognition and even led to her first Golden Globe for best performance by a female actor in a musical or comedy. 

According to her 2025 interview with Glamour, this was an impactful role that proved that she wasn't a "disappointment" (via Extra). With her successful inclusion in "Landman" coming shortly after, her words certainly held their weight. "With everything I've been through, which has been a lot, I wouldn't trade where I am today," she stated. "And the thing that I feel like I have today that I certainly didn't have when I was younger was the freedom to know that I don't have to have the answer, and that life is not going to be completely stolen from me if I somehow don't know."

Before portraying Angela Norris in "Landman," the strong-willed blonde bombshell with a Southern drawl, Ali Larter made her way around notable acting projects. Larter got her breakout role as Darcy Sears in the 1999 film "Varsity Blues," which, thanks to her infamous whipped cream bikini scene, catapulted her into other projects. From there, she continued to appear in classics like "Legally Blonde" and the "Final Destination" franchise.

In 2006, she joined the cast of "Heroes," a supernatural television series that followed mundane individuals and their hidden supernatural abilities. In "Heroes," Larter flexed her acting prowess as she portrayed Niki Sanders, a hard-working mother with a dissociative identity disorder that allows her to transform into her fierce counterpart, Jessica, and her twin, Tracy Strauss, a methodical political aide with ice powers. Given the popularity of the NBC series, this easily became Larter's most popular role, despite her ever-growing resume of characters that followed throughout the 2010s. Larter commented on this career highlight in 2025 when explaining what first drew her to Niki. "It's a woman who's being put into a corner who is doing whatever she can to take care of her family," she told People. "Then the way that connected with audiences on a worldwide level, to believe that there's that power within you, that there's something special in all of us. That was just a show that hit at the right time."

Amongst the cast of "Landman," Michelle Randolph arguably had the most sudden transition to acting stardom. Through portraying Ainsley Norris, the naive and independent daughter of Tommy and Angela Norris, Randolph solidified her rise in the acting industry, but it wouldn't be her breakout. This would take place just three years prior, in another Taylor Sheridan original, "1923."

Her trajectory as an actor didn't start on the big screen; Randolph first thrived as a model, and it was there that she decided to start acting. "After signing with Wilhelmina Models, I immediately started acting," she told Grazia Magazine. "When I booked my very first movie, the second I walked onto set, I had so much fun and realized that's all I wanted to do. I stopped modeling and pursued acting ever since." The reason why Randolph looks so familiar stems from her prior work in "1923," where she played the highly sheltered Elizabeth Strafford, who gradually becomes a hardened ranch woman due to a series of unfortunate events. It was a significant step above what she was used to as an actor at the time, as it meant she'd act alongside Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. Her inclusion in the series proved to be a success, which was an anecdote Randolph predicted to be the case before snagging the role. "How often is it that you get to audition for something you know is going to be successful?" she told Grazia Magazine.

Before portraying the morally compromised roughneck Cooper Norris in "Landman," Jacob Lofland made himself known as a young prodigy in the acting industry. Lofland's trajectory as an actor began as early as 13 years old, when his mother encouraged him to audition for the role of the resourceful scavenger Neckbone in the 2012 film "Mud." Given Lofland's appearance alongside Matthew McConaughey — at this point, McConaughey had already stopped doing rom-coms and entered his "McConaissance" era – this is an acting debut that only a few can claim. "I never thought it to be a career path or an idea," he told Ay Magazine. "I had no idea what it was, what it entailed, or anyone that had ever done it."

Luckily, he was able to turn this opportunity into a prominent career. Since appearing in "Mud," Lofland has continued to garner acting gigs in films like "Little Accidents" and TV shows such as "Justified" and "Texas Rising." His most notable role outside of these was his portrayal of Aris in the "Maze Runner" franchise from 2015 to 2018. He went on to cycle through prominent fields of work from there, ranging from the horror-thriller "A House on the Bayou" in 2021 and musical "Joker: Folie a Deux" in 2024. 

As a Texas-native herself, Paulina Chávez joined the cast of "Landman" to portray the resilient Latina widow, Ariana. In developing a growing relationship with Cooper Norris, Chávez was able to bring her fictional counterpart's complex storyline of grief to life, depicting what a strong Latina woman can look like in a television series. Ultimately, this was a trademark that existed throughout Chávez's acting career.

Through appearing in various projects from as early as 2016, Chávez spent 2020 hitting major career milestones. One of which saw her appear in a TV movie, "Feliz NaviDAD" alongside "Saved by the Bell" actor Mario Lopez. Most notable, however, was her portrayal of Ashley Garcia in the Netflix original "The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia" — later changed to "Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love." Chávez was instantly drawn to the show — created by Seth Kurland and her previous co-star, Lopez — particularly because the sitcom allowed for unique Latin representation. "I was immediately captivated with the storyline about a Latina who is super smart, incredibly smart ... you don't really see that on TV that much — a Latina who is brilliant — so it was a cool representation, and I was excited to audition for it," she told Bold TV in 2020. Despite Chávez's memorable performance, the sitcom ultimately came to an end after one season alongside a plethora of multi-camera Netflix comedies.

Kayla Wallace was a consistent actor well before portraying the no-nonsense attorney Rebecca Falcone in "Landman." After getting her first taste of screen work as a chorus performer and dancer for Disney's "Descendants" in 2015, Wallace began to rack up appearances in various projects, including "Death of a Vegas Showgirl" and "The Good Doctor." A key reason why Wallace looks so familiar, however, is mostly due to her stints in several Hallmark projects. Her collaborative relationship with the network started in 2018, when she portrayed Avery Scott in "Once Upon a Prince." Wallace's standout performance for the network came in 2019, when she joined the cast of "When Calls the Heart" as the energetic yet charming Fiona Miller.

What's interesting about her role as Fiona is her initial trajectory. Wallace was unsure whether the character would stay on full-time, particularly given her late introduction in Season 6 of the show. However, Wallace got to portray the character all the way up to Season 12, which suggests that Fiona was widely considered to be a successful addition to the main cast. "Initially, I was not certain how long Fiona would stick around. Of course, I had hoped that she would stay in Hope Valley and am very glad she did!" she told Ruth Hill of "My Devotional Thoughts" in 2020. "I think Fiona brought a fresh, fun quality to the town that people had never seen before, and I think it really excited everyone!"

At first glance, Mark Collie may not appear as familiar as his "Landman" co-stars. He portrayed the cold Sheriff Walt Joeberg, but many may not have taken notice of who Collie actually is. Outside of acting, Collie is a critically acclaimed Tennessee-born country singer who rose to prominence in the '90s thanks to albums such as "Hardin County Line," "Born and Raised in Black & White," "Mark Collie," and "Unleashed." His musical success didn't end there, as Collie also wrote songs for (and with) many well-known country acts, including Marty Stuart, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Tim McGraw. 

With his success in the music industry across the last three decades, Collie's stint as an actor followed suit. After making his acting debut in "Fire Down Below" in 1997, Collie continued to make various appearances in numerous projects while also upholding his musical obligations. His most recognizable early performances in the 2000s, including the Western "Jericho" and the 2004 superhero film "The Punisher," gave Collie the blueprint to fully transition into acting later on. If you missed his appearances in his prior films, you were most likely to catch him in the TV series "Nashville," where he portrayed Frankie Gray in Season 4. Although Collie also played a recurring character in "The Strip," his stint in "Nashville" was Collie's most substantial TV role to date outside of his role in "Landman."

With "Landman," Colm Feore added to his list of complex fictional characters by portraying Nathan, the high-powered, behind-the-scenes corporate attorney for M-Tex. Through Feore's character, viewers get to see the extensive work that goes into oil operations in this fictional universe, aided by Nathan's calm approach to problem-solving. Indeed, Nathan is the businessman who's always three steps ahead, and it bears some similarities to his prior gig as Reginald Hargreeves, the manipulative scientific entrepreneur in the massively popular Netflix series "The Umbrella Academy," which ran from 2019 to 2024. 

Aside from this, however, Feore remains an acclaimed actor with a list of acting credits spanning over four decades. From the '90s to 2000s, Feore took on a string of memorable roles like Glenn Gould in "Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" and Admiral Kimmel in "Pearl Harbor." While he made unforgettable appearances in the Oscar-winning musical "Chicago" and "Paycheck," Feore's involvement in the MCU helped further establish him as a credible actor. In 2011, he portrayed the King of the Frost Giants, Laufey, in "Thor," and in 2014, he played slimy Oscorp executive Donald Menken in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Feore's career isn't limited to film either, with recurring roles in TV series such as "The Borgias," "House of Cards," and "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair," all sprawled throughout the 2010s.

If you're accustomed to Taylor Sheridan's work, then you're likely familiar with James Jordan, who often plays abrasive figures on screen. Jordan's role as Dale Bradley in "Landman" is one of several Sheridan projects he was woven into. Jordan first discovered Sheridan's work through watching "Sicario" in 2015, during what he suggested was a stagnant point in his acting career, as he told CBS in 2025. Jordan recalled telling his manager that he would love to work with Sheridan, which led to him appearing amongst a cast of talented actors such as Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner in the 2017 Western film, "Wind River."

This seemingly jump-started his longstanding collaborative relationship with Sheridan. If you've watched "Yellowstone," you'll know that Jordan joined the cast as Livestock Agent Steve Hendon in Season 2. Not only that, but Jordan also upheld appearances in multiple projects written by Sheridan from 2019 onward, including "Those Who Wish Me Dead," "Mayor of Kingstown," "1883," and "Lioness." "I've been working with him and for him since April 2016. It's been a blessing," he told CBS. "He was writing the stories I wanted to tell, the kinds of stories I wanted to be a part of, the kinds of stories that would challenge me as an actor. And it's all been fulfilled with Taylor's work." Aside from his work alongside Sheridan, Jordan's prior credits also include shows like "Veronica Mars," "True Blood," and "The Mentalist."