The Stunning Transformation Of Landman Hunk Mitchell Slaggert

The stunning transformation of "Landman" hunk Mitchell Slaggert from runway model to a regular on Taylor Sheridan's hit show reads like something out of a fairy tale. The best way to sum it up is "right place, right time," but with Slaggert's all-American good looks (that have some Instagram followers comparing him to a young Brad Pitt), it really was just a matter of time. But genetics don't get all the credit. Slaggert has a strong work ethic, not to mention considerable talent and a desire to be taken seriously as an actor. 

In the West Texas oil drama that is "Landman," Slaggert plays Ryder Sampson, the love interest of Michelle Randolph's rowdy Ainsley Norris. He brings an "aww shucks" charm to the role that's refreshing for someone who looks like, well, THAT. What's even more refreshing is that it isn't all an act for the Southern-born-and-bred actor. This is a guy who knows who is he is — and who he isn't — and he makes sure the people he surrounds himself with are clear about it as well. "I have good people on my team and they're close like family," he once told Anthem. "They look out for my best interests, and we watch each other's backs and take care of each other." While fame may have come easily to Slaggert, he isn't one to let it go to his head. "I don't believe cocky people are happy," he said. "They have something to prove and that's unfortunate." 

Part of "Landman" star Mitchell Slaggert's "good ol' boy" vibe is inherent. Although born in Michigan, he was raised in Fayettesville, Georgia in a traditional Southern family. "The Americana aesthetic, that's what I grew up with," he told Interview magazine. "It's in the DNA of things. I was so fortunate to live such a great childhood and I have phenomenal parents." Those parents are Jeff and Kellye Slaggert, and he credits them for his idyllic youth. "I spent the majority of my childhood being out in the woods," he told Vogue. "I remember my mom had a big old cowbell that she'd ring whenever we'd have to come home for dinner."

As a child, Slaggert didn't dream of acting. He dreamed of wrestling crocodiles. "Growing up, I wanted to be Steve Irwin," he told Anthem, and added that shows like "Nat Geo" and "Planet Earth" were among his favorites. "So, I spent all of my time outside just playing with critters and had massive aquariums outside." That early love of nature as a place to play and explore grew into something deeper for Slaggert, who explained it as an almost religious experience. "Yeah, I still go to church as often as possible," he said. "But I firmly believe that nature is one of the closest things to God so even though church is a place of worship, you don't necessarily have to go to church."

When he wasn't trying to be the next "Crocodile Hunter," young Mitchell Slaggert wanted to serve his country as a U.S. Marine. "Ever since I was little, I wanted to go to the military," he told Anthem. "I liked all the toys they have." He explained that military life was something that was ingrained into him by his uncle, Billy Ray Suggs, a two-star general at Homeland Security. During his high-school years, both Slaggert and his brother would rise before dawn to train with Suggs, but when it came time to enlist, the soon-to-be model was shot down. "I enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school, [but] I was unable to join because I lost a kidney in a car accident when I was 7 [years old]," he explained to People.

While he may not have made the cut, Slaggert's brother did and the actor counts on him to keep him in line. "I'm thankful I got a brother who's in the Marine Corps," he told Anthem. "He's on deployment right now. I always tell him, 'If I ever change, you need to get a running start and knock my a** out.'" As for Uncle Billy, in a strange twist of fate, he was cast in the movie "Moss" alongside his nephew, and he now does commercials. "He's 67 years old and he's at the same modeling agency I'm at," Slaggert said. "This is like a Cinderella story, man. It's beautiful." Indeed, the 67-year-old marine to model transformation is certainly a more adult take on Hilary Duff's "Cinderella Story."

After working toward joining the military for so many years, Mitchell Slaggert was disappointed when he was turned down. But rather than wallow in his sorrows, he regrouped. "You could either beat yourself up and just stay in the gutter or you can find something else to do," he told The Nerds of Color. That something else turned out to be college. Slaggert packed his bags and headed to the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. He intended to get a degree in mechanical engineering, but the universe had other plans. 

In one of those moments that many people just dream of, the handsome student was "discovered" on the streets of Wilmington by casting director (and the man who discovered the equally gorgeous yet controversial Jennifer Lawrence), Daniel Peddle. "At first, I was like, 'Eh, thank you. No, thank you.' And long story short, I get a contract in the mail from DNA Models, and I'm like, 'Oh, what is that,'" he told People. Trading college for catwalks was a leap of faith for Slaggert who had no experience, other than being ridiculously good-looking. He described his initiation into the fashion world as fast and furious. "They throw you in at the deep end and you start swimming," he told Anthem magazine. "But they're very good at what they do in the sense that they set you up with the right people — they set you up for success. DNA won't take you on if they don't have faith in you."

Within just a few weeks, Mitchell Slaggert was booking shows and landing ad spots for some of the biggest names in the industry — most notably, Calvin Klein. After walking the runway exclusively for the brand, he was soon tapped as the new face of both the Calvin Klein Collection, and Calvin Klein Underwear. The next thing Slaggert knew, he was posing next to Kendall Jenner in his undies for the brand's Iron Strength line. "Kendall was very sweet and easy to work with," he told Vogue about his co-star. "I was jet-lagged and wasn't very chatty initially, but she was easy to talk to and always had a smile on her face."

You'd think someone who looks like Slaggert wouldn't think twice about baring his bod, but the already fit actor confessed to Vogue that he stepped up his game in the gym to make sure he was prepared. "I doubled my cardio routines before touching weights, and by adding a clean, healthy diet into the mix, I managed to get myself both physically and mentally fit," he said. Even so, he admitted to The New York Times that posing nearly naked was an adjustment. "It took some getting used to," he said. "But I asked my sister, and she said: 'You have to. It's iconic.'" Modeling for Calvin Klein has launched many a career, a fact not lost on Slaggert, who told Vogue, "I'm blessed to take part in something so special." 

Acting seems like the next logical step for many models who use the runway as a springboard to get onto the big screen. Mitchell Slaggert, however, wasn't in a hurry to take the leap. That's why, when  Daniel Peddle (the same man who plucked him out of obscurity on the streets of Wilmington) offered him a role in the independent film "Moss," Slaggert took a beat to deliberate. "It was actually something that I was hesitant about," Slaggert told Vogue. "I thought maybe it wouldn't be my forte, and I didn't really know much about acting, but [when] we went down to the coast of North Carolina and shot the movie, it was like baptism by fire — I just fell in love with the whole process."

The film, and the model-turned-actor, were met with good reviews. Although the role of a rugged, outdoorsy Southern boy may not have been a stretch for the Georgia native, Slaggert was quick to credit Peddle for bringing out his best and putting him at ease on the project. "[Daniel] is an incredible guy — he gave us a lot of exceptional pointers and really showed us the ropes," he described. "He laid out what he wanted to get out of each scene, and we stayed there till we got it." He praised the director's patience and laid back vibe, and added, "It was a surreal experience to become an actor this way."

Following his successful role in "Moss," Mitchell Slaggert was off and running. Next up? A role alongside well-known actors such as the ageless Ryan Phillippe and the stunning Joey King in director John R. Leonetti's horror flick, "Wish Upon." Many new actors struggle as they pay their dues, putting up with the egos of more established actors or the demands of ill-tempered directors, but for Slaggert, lightning struck twice. Just like on the set of "Moss," the cast and crew were kind and welcoming to the newcomer. "So — I got very lucky with 'Wish Upon' because the director [John R. Leonetti] was such a genuine individual," he shared with Anthem magazine. "From the top down, people wanted to work at their best for him because he was such a nice guy. It was a very easy transition because the whole crew was made up of stellar individuals."

If he was starstruck by Phillippe and King, it soon went away as he got to know them."They were very nice, genuine individuals," he described. "Everyone was happy and lovely and enjoying their time, you know? It just made the whole movie-making process easy." If "Moss" was the catalyst that caused Slaggert to fall in love with acting, "Wish Upon" just fueled the fire he already felt. "It's this natural high you get," he told Cero magazine. "You nail it and you're like, 'Oh, that felt good, alright, let's do it again. How many takes do you need?'"

The camera loved him, and the auditions were coming in, but Mitchell Slaggert wanted to make sure that he was seen as more than just another pretty face. That led him to do something many up and coming actors would be scared to do — he pressed pause. "I'm like, 'Hold up. I'm in over my head.' So, I took a step out," he said to People. "I had to take a step back because I didn't want to be known as a model–turned–actor with no chops. I took a step back, and I got a bunch of training." 

That training included enrolling in the Stella Adler Acting Studio. "It's one of the best classes and one of the best studios in New York City," he told Athem magazine in 2018. Slaggert added that being on set and seeing what goes on behind the scenes has given him a new appreciation for the art. "There are so many minute details that you don't even think about when you're watching movies," he explained. "When you're actually a part of the creation, there's just unsurpassable things you pick up from being on set." The former wanna-be Marine told Collider that he's not one to "half-ass" anything, and it's his military discipline that drives him to go above and beyond. "I get very focused on things, and I'm just gonna get it done, do it right, and overkill it."

Taking a step back to regroup turned out to the right move for hunky Mitchell Slaggert, who landed a plum role in Season 2 of Mindy Kaling's HBO Max hit, "The Sex Lives of College Girls." Slaggert, who plays Kimberly's neighbor and love interest, Jackson, told Collider that he was a fan of the series before becoming part of it. "When I first started watching it, I was like, 'Is this one of those shows that's tailored towards a high school audience?' And then, I was like, 'Oh, this is absolutely not. This is actually funny.'" The role elevated him to heartthrob status, and he told People he had the DMs to prove it. "There's a couple interesting ones," he admitted. 

"Interesting" DMs aside, the actor said that most fans just reach out to tell him how much they enjoy his work. "People have been very kind [and] just been like, 'Hey, we've been following your career for a while. Just happy to see that you're doing this.' It's been more of that, which is reassuring," he said. Being the new guy in an already established show is kind of like the first day at a new school, but Slaggert had no issues fitting in. "I just get along with everybody," he continued. "So, I just went in it and was just like, 'Oh yes, hello. Hi, I'm Mitchell.' Everybody was very nice, warm, and welcoming."

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't ignore the mass appeal of Hallmark's Christmas movies. Not even Mitchell Slaggert was immune to the charm when he signed on for "A Carpenter Christmas Romance" opposite Sasha Pieterse. "Yeah, a holiday romance, I mean, there's just an electricity in the air, everybody's joyful," he told The Nerds of Color. "A lot of times, they're around family and then if they're out and about, there's that aura about people just walking around and sparks can fly." 

Playing a carpenter wasn't hard for Slaggert, who enjoys building and getting his hands dirty in his spare time. In addition to building his own home, the former model told Cero magazine that he has a knack for woodworking and once made a girlfriend a coffee table. "It turned out great, and then some people reached out saying that they want one, so I might just start selling furniture," he joked. He may be kidding about his alternate career, but Slaggert is smart enough to know that Hollywood is a fickle place. "This is an interesting industry and you can't put all your eggs in one basket," he explained. "I've come very close to a bunch of other parts where I didn't get it and neither did anybody else who I was up against. So, you don't get your hopes up and you just keep on rolling the dice."

By the time of his "Landman" audition, Mitchell Slaggert already had a few years of experience under his belt. Even so, Slaggert was aware that being part of a Taylor Sheridan show, and working with Landman's familiar cast of A-listers like Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, was the chance of a lifetime for any actor. "I essentially knew it was another Taylor Sheridan show, and that guy is just a savant," he recalled to Cero magazine of when he first learned abut the project. "He's just a wizard with everything he touches, and so I was really stoked." The "Wish Upon" star added that he had been keeping up with his acting classes and he felt good about auditioning. "I was very confident, I knew I was ready," he said. "I'm also fortunate where I don't get starstruck, but it was definitely nerve-wracking stepping into it because you're running with these heavy hitters now and you're like, 'Okay, alright, this is where all the work that you've been doing gets put to the test and it's sink or swim.'" 

Safe to say — Slaggert swam. Whether he's going one-on-one with Thornton or dancing in a jock strap for a group of senior ladies in a nursing home, the hunk makes an impression. As his star continues to rise, Slaggert keeps pushing himself to try new things. "I like being nervous," he said, "because it means you're doing something important."