Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for the first five episodes of Landman!
Jacob Lofland's Cooper finds his quest to be an oil rig crewman becoming even more difficult in Landman. Lofland found immediate success when he made his acting debut in Jeff Nichols' film. Mudhaving followed up with subsequent roles in FX's Justifiedthe Labyrinth Corridor franchise, led by Bill Paxton Texas Rise Western miniseries and drama led by Pierce Brosnan The Son. Most recently, Lofland was seen in the generally well-received true-story sports drama. 12 powerful orphansBlumhouse's horror thriller A house on the Bayou and Joker: Folie à Deux.
Lofland star Landman as Cooper Norris, the eldest son of Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy and Ali Larter's Angela, and brother of Michelle Randolph's Ainsley. Despite Tommy and Angela's desire for him to have a college education, Cooper becomes determined to work on an oil rig, and his first day on the job sees him as the sole survivor of a rig explosion. Since then, the season has seen him grow closer to Paulina Chávez's Ariana, the widow of one of the crew who died in the rig explosion, while his cousins become increasingly hostile and threaten him if he continues spending time with her.
Alongside Lofland, Thornton, Larter, Randolph and Chávez, the group Landman the cast includes frequent Taylor Sheridan collaborator James Jordan, nashvilleMark Collie, The substanceDemi Moore, Top Gun: MaverickJon Hamm and The Umbrella AcademyIt's Colm Feore. While it proved to be one of Sheridan's funniest shows to date, as well as being a fresh and insightful look at the oil industry, it quickly established itself as a hit, dominating the streaming charts for the first half of its run.
With the season just past its halfway mark, TelaRant interviewed Jacob Lofland to discuss Landmanthe intensity of filming episode 1 of the oil rig explosion, why are cooper and ariana so attracted to each other, why is cooper so determined to be an oil rig worker despite the fatal accident, what is the dynamics between Cooper, his mother and his sister, their fate in episode 5 and their thoughts on the Labyrinth Corridor restart.
Cooper has a few reasons why Episode 1's explosion isn't stopping him from working on the oil rig
Filming this sequence was also surprisingly practical
ScreenRant: It's good to see you again, Jacob, and keep talking about Landman. I continue to love this show, and episode 5, which we'll see, ends on a pretty important note. When we last spoke, it was before the premiere, so I didn't want to get into spoilers, but the platform explosion in episode 1 is just insane. I'd love to hear about the filming of this sequence, especially since everyone I talked to talked about how practical the effects are in this series.
Jacob Lofland: Yes, there is no CGI. These flames are 100% real. All of this is real in a Taylor set, you don't imitate much. If that doesn't happen, we may not make it. [Chuckles] We burned a ridiculous amount of fuel that day to make the fire as big as it was, and it was the hottest thing I've ever been this close to. We thought we were safe back with the truck and everything, but it was like, within 30 seconds, it was like, “No, if you don't move in 30, your skin is going to melt off,” it was so hot.
It was a great day. It actually worked out, because it was kind of cold outside, so when the fire was going, you could stand at a safe distance and it was nice and warm. [Chuckles] But it was a crazy day. One of the greatest effects I think I've ever done and watched. Again, it was about 12 hours just burning fuel. It was really fun to be pulled by strings and pillows.
This outburst could easily dissuade someone from this line of work, but Cooper is actually motivated to be in this field. Why do you think he, despite his parents' wishes, despite his sister's wishes, is still so motivated to be an oil worker?
Jacob Lofland: I think he knows how successful he can be if everything goes well. He's just learning what the risks are, I think that's it. I think this is the first day and it was a big wake-up call. But at the same time, if you crash your car one day and get another one, you probably won't think, “Well, I can't drive now, because what if I crash?” You have to try again, right? You have to get back on the bike. Now, if this keeps happening, you might need to take a tip. But I think, more than anything, that's it. It's just him waking up, and he definitely doesn't want to go back and do that. But this is what I signed up for, and even if that went wrong, let's hope it gets better from now on.
That's the kind of mentality he has, and we'll see how long that lasts. But I think that's where it comes from. I don't think it's time to say, “No. I'm out. I can't do this.” I think as a man, doing any job, yes, you've had a setback, but let's try one more time. Let's make sure. At the same time, this is the only plan Cooper has. It has no backup. He can't just stand up and say, “Oh, let's sell these computer chips.” I think he's dedicated to this and wants to prove to himself and his father and everyone else that he can do this. He's just not sure what he'll have to do yet, but he'll do it.
Lofland finds a very emotional reason behind Cooper and Ariana's connection
He also thinks there's a very good reason Cooper refuses to give in to his in-laws' threats.
So from that outburst, we obviously see Cooper start to get closer to Ariana. We've talked before about working with Paulina, but I'd love to know why you think Cooper and Ariana feel so close, especially since this is a situation where he could easily be blamed for these people's deaths, even though we, as an audience, He saw it and knows it's not his fault.
Jacob Lofland: I think a lot of their connection is a trauma bond more than anything. I don't think any of them can really sit in their own thoughts right now. So just having something with someone, even if you're not talking, just having someone sitting there is really cool. I think we've all been in a similar position before, no matter what you've been through, there's always something like, “I'd love to have just someone, just one environment. Nothing intimate, just companionship.” I think that's where it all starts. I think it's good for both of them to not sit in silence and know that they're collectively going through the same thing.
It really is a very powerful story from what I've seen so far. Was there a specific moment when you and Paulina felt like you had found that rhythm and that relationship with each other?
Jacob Lofland: You know, it was like that almost every day. It kind of just fell into place. There will always be some scenes, of course, where you feel better hit than others at the time you're doing them. We definitely had that, but whenever Paulina and I worked together it was easy and effortless. It works well, there's good chemistry, and we like and feel comfortable working together. So it just works, it just happens. What you see is really organic, and we didn't really try to do that. I think that's what makes it so believable: it's just natural.
You talk about taking the hint with his job, and Ariana's in-laws continue to assault him to the point of Landman episode 5 cliffhanger. Before we get into it properly, why do you think he refuses to listen to the threats and continues to see Ariana?
Jacob Lofland: I think he's really cool. I mean, ultimately, he's attracted to her, but at the moment, I think he's just trying to help her and be nice and get away with it, and he just finds himself in this bad position, you know? He's not really trying to take anything away from this. He's just trying to help and damn, they won't leave him alone. At the end of the day, I feel like this is where Cooper comes from, and it's just a set of coincidences that this is where we end up.
So with the end of Episode 5, obviously we don't want to spoil what's coming in the next few episodes, but what can you tell me about how the way he was left will impact the rest of the season, especially his family?
Jacob Lofland: There will definitely be a change of direction in direction – maybe not the direction he's going. It will still have the same path, but there will be some shortcuts or long paths to get there now. It won't be the straight path it was before, it kind of changes the dynamic of what he wants to do. So there will be some obstacles for him. As far as family goes, it would be like if it happened to your family. It will definitely take a hit. But at the end of the day, I think everything will work out. We will come back and everything will balance the scales eventually.
Lofland doesn't know what the Norris family dynamic really is
“…you have as much as I do in this.”
So, since we're talking about the family, we obviously see what Tommy and Cooper's dynamic is, but I feel like we haven't seen anything from Cooper, Angela, and Ainsley, other than their dinner scene together. What can you tell me about what their relationship is?
Jacob Lofland: Not much, honestly, you have as much as I do in this. [Chuckles] That's kind of a running joke that Michelle and I have: We don't know why we don't like each other, and it wasn't written. We never got that backstory, so what we hope is that that will happen as we go along, and we'll find out what really happened to this family, to put us in the position where we started, and that has to happen. either because they don't like each other. So we're not sure, we're still going to have to live it and figure it out, and the audience will learn from us as well as we do.
Lofland has hopes for season 2 (even though he hasn't heard any updates)
He also reflects on what the show's positive reception has been like.”A whirlwind”
That's a unique way to approach a character. I feel like this also leaves the door open for new seasons to expound on this. We are halfway through this season. Have you heard any hopeful updates from the powers that be Landman 2nd season?
Jacob Lofland: Totally unofficial, I can't say yes or no and I have no idea. All I can say is that I hope, more than anything, that we get back to working on this as soon as possible, because it's amazing, and I love doing it, and I think this story needs to be told, and I think people are going to love it. So, at the end of the day, hope is all we have.
So if there is a second season, which, again, I hope there is, what would you love to see from Cooper that you didn't get this season, but that also doesn't reveal anything about what's coming in the rest of this season?
Jacob Lofland: That's a really good question, and honestly, I don't have a very good answer to it. I'm kind of sitting here thinking, “I can't wait to see what Taylor has in store.” As an actor, I've never been able to say, “Oh, this is what I'd like to do.” It’s always, “This is what we have to do.” So I'm very curious, waiting for Taylor, I hope we get to season two and start reading and see what's in store for Cooper. I mean, I'm not a writer, even if I could imagine this, it probably wouldn't be as good as what Taylor planned.
You never know when you get into a character.
Jacob Lofland: That's true. Some growth. I hope to see Cooper become the young man that he aspires to be, and kind of move on from childhood, which I think Ariana and him, sorry for going back to, was a great dynamic between the two of them. You can see him as a child, basically, who doesn't know what he's doing, unlike when you see him in the patch, where he still doesn't know what he's doing, but you don't understand that vulnerable side of a person. It's just the job, and that's what we have to do. I like that dynamic and I hope to see that part of Cooper grow. That would be fun.
So how did you feel seeing the positive reactions to Landman? Because for me personally, I think this is the funniest show in Taylor's repertoire. But how do you feel seeing the variety of reactions to this?
Jacob Lofland: Yes, it's a whirlwind. And what's crazy is I knew going in, Taylor Sheridan and Billy Bob, with the scripts, you knew it was stacked, and the whole time, no matter the doubts, we knew it was going to be a hit, because there wasn't way not to be. Now that it's actually happening, it's a really cool experience. Witnessing this explosion as it is, and hearing everyone's positive reactions, and knowing that the things we were trying to convey on screen did that, and seeing the audience's reaction is one of the most rewarding things. It's just amazing that it worked and worked the way you were supposed to. That's the magic of this business. That's what you work on this for, is to make a film, and at the end of the day, he translated it. You got exactly what you wanted to convey.
Lofland underwent a five-day boot camp to prepare to work on an oil rig
“…no one ever got hurt or anything.”
Cooper's growth is obviously a big thing, but also his work on The Patch is something that requires a lot of work on his part. What was the most interesting thing you learned from Christopher, as well as Taylor, when working on these sequences?
Jacob Lofland: Well, getting back on topic, I think they taught me more at the five-day bully camp that we did and that they put together. When it comes to these things, it's more just knowing what you're doing and what you're grabbing, because there's a lot of danger mixed in. At any given time, anything you touch weighs thousands of pounds to tons, several tons at a time, and it's all driven by hydraulics and motors. So there are so many moving parts that if you put your hand in the wrong place, you might not have it in a second.
Probably what helped the most was they put us on a platform and gave us people to run it all day and say, “Don't do this. Don't do this. Watch this. This is going to move.” Once you get everything in order, it's like a dance, and you just make sure you don't step in the wrong place. But having that understanding was huge. We wouldn't have been able to do all of our gear and Patch work without this camp. I would never feel safe enough to be out there doing things like these guys do. [Chuckles]
I imagine. Have you ever seen any dangers while filming?
Jacob Lofland: I mean, there was a couple, no one ever got hurt or anything. But it was all learning curves and figuring out how to manage things. I won't say we didn't come close to breaking a finger once or twice, but luckily we were safe and nothing crazy happened. But that's the reason for those five days we had. If it weren't for that, the chances of getting injured increase drastically. So that was probably the best thing about being there with Taylor. He will never be unprepared. That's one thing: he wants all his people to be overly prepared, if anything.
Lofland has heard nothing about The maze runner Restart
“…it was a great experience and one that I will never forget, for sure.”
I think I'm getting close to time, so I had a question out of the program very quickly. Obviously, I'm a big Labyrinth Corridor fan. I have my copies right behind me, on the shelf. They are working on a new version of the franchise. I'm curious what you think about it coming back?
Jacob Lofland: I haven't heard that. This used to be talked about, I just didn't know if anything was working. No, it was a great experience and I had a lot of fun with all those guys. I'm still very close to Dylan, I talk to Keon and Dexter. They're all great guys, and at the time, I think I was 18 when we did it. 18 in Albuquerque, with the hotel full of guys, like we had a great time. We had airsoft wars at the hotel and it was crazy, things we probably shouldn't have done. [Laughs] But I still keep in touch with all these guys, and it was a great experience, and one I'll never forget, for sure.
On Landman
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern story of seeking your fortune in the world of oil rigs. Based on the remarkable 11-part podcast “Boomtown,” the series is a top-down story of bullies and savage billionaires fueling a boom so massive it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.
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