Billy Bob Thornton Zoomed into Deadline Contenders from Texas where he’s filming Season 2 of Landman. His character, Tommy Norris, is now president of the oil company Cami Miller (Demi Moore) owns. Not only is this a daunting new position for Tommy, but he’ll have to teach Cami the oil business.

“Since she doesn’t really know the oil business that well, I’m there with her to show her how these poeple operate,” Thornton said. “You can know something intellectually but what are the street smarts behind it? I know how to deal with these people she’s going to have to deal with. I just tell her, ‘Look, some of these deals you can take but when it gets really weird and difficult, let me know because I know these guys.’”

This only compounds the drama Tommy has with his own family, including ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) and children, drug cartels and more.

“He goes from having a job that’s really difficult and a job that’s very dangeorus to having two,” Thornton said. “Now I’m kind of executive and a landman and a family man in the midst of this tornado. It makes for some pretty interesting stuff I have to say.”

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It won’t change Tommy’s character, though, or his fashion sense.

“I think the only difference in my wardrobe this year is every now and then I’ll throw a sportjacket over my jeans and crummy button up shirt,” Thornton joked.

Thornton pointed to the authenticity of Landman to account for the Paramount+ original’s popularity as the number one streaming show in January of this year. Based on Christian Wallace’s Boomtown podcast, Wallace and his family are on the set to answer Thornton’s questions.

“You can’t just learn lines and recite them because people are not stupid,” Thornton said. “They catch on pretty soon that you’re just doing it by rote. We were lucky to have them on set to say, ‘Hey, exactly what does this mean?’ So that way when I look into another actor’s eyes, I can say it with confidence because I know the meaning behind it.”

Some critics suggested that Larter’s character was heightened, but Thornton said one needn’t go far to see real-life examples of Angela.

“You ever been to Dallas?” He said. “Just go down there and believe me, Ali is on every other corner.”

Thornton also shared a scene with an animal co-star. After Tommy has witnessed a murder, a coyote stops and stares at him, reflecting his internal turmoil.

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“Originally there was a bunch of dialogue in those scenes,” Thornton said. “Taylor and I talked it over. You know what, I don’t know if I should say anything. People are going to get it. We don’t need to put a hat on a hat. It was a very powerful scene even doing it. Getting a coyote to stand still and stare at you is not easy but we managed.”

Check back on Monday for the panel video.