Before Landman, Demi Moore And Billy Bob Thornton Worked On A Forgotten '90s Movie

Erotic thrillers used to be big business. Explorers of late-night cable TV in the late '80s and throughout the '90s likely recall the cavalcade of nudity-infused neo-noirs that filled entire blocks of programming. Many of them starred Shannon Tweed. Because sex and sexuality hadn't yet been moved to the internet, erotic thrillers were vital for a generation exploring adult themes and sexual ideas, even if they were always presented as prurient. Erotic thrillers also proved to be big hits in Hollywood. Adrian Lyne made "9½ Weeks" in 1986 and "Fatal Attraction" in 1987, each of them enormous financial successes. Paul Verhoeven kicked the doors open wide with "Basic Instinct" in 1992, a film that made $353 million on a $49 million budget. Sex became a commercial powerhouse. 

In 1993, Paramount continued the trend with "Indecent Proposal," also a Lyne film, which dealt with the intersection of money and infidelity. In the film, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson play Diana and David Murphy, a married pair of high school sweethearts who have fallen on tough times. In order to buy their dream house in Santa Monica, California, they take their scant savings to Las Vegas, hoping to win big gambling. Instead, they are met with, well, an indecent proposal. A wealthy gambler named John Gage (Robert Redfort) takes a shine to Diane, feeling she is both beautiful and lucky. He offers Diane and David one million dollars if John be allowed to spend the night with Diane. Sex is part of the deal. Diane decides to go through with it, but David isn't wholly comfortable.

While in Vegas, watching John at the baccarat table, Diane and David can be seen standing next to a shaggy, hippie-looking dude in a weird, paper-clip shirt.  In the credits, this character is credited only as "Day Tripper," and he only has a cameo. Cinema fans will instantly recognize Day Tripper as Billy Bob Thornton.

In an interview with People Magazine, though, Thornton indicated that their scene didn't leave much of an impact on Moore.

"Indecent Proposal" isn't talked about too much anymore, as it, like all its erotic brethren, has fallen out of fashion. In 1993, however, it was the height of controversy, and the "would you let your spouse cheat on you for a million dollars?" question no doubt rattled — or enriched — many a married couple. The film only cost $38 million to make, and earned over $266 million at the box office. Unlike other erotic thrillers of the age, this one featured scant nudity. Critics responded negatively to "Indecent Proposal," with many citing the film as sexist, retrograde, and clunky. It is, after all, about a woman who literally sells her body for the benefit of her husband. The film was nominated for multiple Razzies, winning Worst Picture. Only Roger Ebert liked it, giving the film three stars. It was, he says, a story about people who have the wherewithal to try out amorality to see if they liked it.

Moore and Thornton would eventually work together as co-leads on the hit Taylor Sheridan series "Landman," wherein Thornton plays an oil landman named Tommy Norris, and Moore plays his friend Cammi, the wife of his boss. Thornton recalled being stoked to be working with Moore again after their brief time together on "Indecent Proposal." The pair had become friends over the years because Thornton starred in movies like "Armageddon" and "Bandits" with Bruce Willis, Moore's husband from 1987 to 2000, and Thornton would see Moore when she visited the sets with her kids. 

Dismayingly, Moore didn't recall Thornton from "Proposal." "She didn't remember me," he said in the People interview. But after "Landman," they have finally substantially shared the screen together, and Moore likely remembers him now. Since "Indecent Proposal," Thornton has been nominated for three Oscars, winning one, and Moore has been nominated for "The Substance." They probably have a lot more to talk about these days.