Billy Bob Thornton Compares Landman To A Classic James Dean Western

In the first scene of Taylor Sheridan's latest drama series "Landman," Tommy Norris sits in an empty hangar with a bag over his head. We don't see his face, and we only hear his voice. In that moment, he's trying to talk his way out of getting killed by a Mexican cartel member. Of course, we know that Tommy is played by veteran actor Billy Bob Thornton, but even before we get to take a look at his rugged visage, we sense (through his voice) that this role — of an alcoholic, chain-smoking, and no-BS landman — was tailor-made for him. It's as if Thornton suddenly had changed careers and decided to ride his final years out in the scorching heat of West Texas, bossing roughnecks around, and fixing issues for billionaire oil men who run the industry.

Half of that is true. According to the interview that Thornton gave for The Daily Beast's Obsessed, Sheridan wrote the leading role specifically with him in mind before he even asked the actor whether he'd be interested in playing it. Since the two had worked together briefly on the western miniseries "1883" prior, the writer-producer knew exactly how to shape the character to make him sound like Thornton.

So when Sheridan shared all this with the actor during a dinner in Vegas, Thornton was immediately intrigued by the part and the premise of the show, and likened it to George Stevens's classic 1956 western-drama, "Giant":

"You don't see the inner workings of the oil business much in a movie or a TV show. I love 'Giant,' the movie was Rock Hudson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor, so I thought it had the potential to be that ... Then when I read it, it's like, yeah, it kind of is 'Giant,' only more dangerous and more edgy."

Thornton loved the resemblance to Stevens' drama so much that he said yes to playing Norris even before reading the script. Although "Landman" might take after "Giant" in certain aspects, the movie is definitely the product of a bygone era with its own unique dynamics and differences. The feature follows the well-to-do family of Texas ranger Jordan 'Bick' Benedict (Rock Hudson), his newly-found love and wife, Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor), and the youngster ranch hand, Jett Rink (James Dean), who works at the Benedicts' estate. Sprawling over several decades, "Giant" delves into complicated family relationships, ranching, the oil business, turbulent love affairs, and the complex legacies one can leave behind.

In 1957, "Giant" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, but only Stevens had the chance to lift up the golden trophy he received for Best Director. The film was also James Dean's last feature leading role (he was nominated for an Oscar, too), but due to his tragic, untimely death in 1955, he never saw the movie released. Regardless of how many awards it won, "Giant" received one of the biggest honours in 2005 from the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry for its "cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance."