Billy Bob Thornton's Toughest Scene Ever Was In An Underrated '90s Crime Thriller

Billy Bob Thornton has been acting for more than 40 years now, and during that time, he's endured his share of tough shoots. The worst, according to the actor, was on Sam Raimi's underrated 1998 gem (and arguably his best movie) "A Simple Plan," in which Thornton played Jacob Mitchell, brother to Bill Paxton's accountant Hank. For his performance, Thornton was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which is a good thing considering the man managed to shoot a scene that he's claimed was "the hardest thing [he] ever did in [his] life" while making the movie.

More recently, Thornton has earned praise for his portrayal of Tommy Norris in "Landman," a role he was seemingly born to play. The man's effortless charm and ability to swing from high drama to hilarity, coupled with his easy southern drawl, make him the ideal person to portray the swaggering oil man at the heart of Taylor Sheridan's Lone Star State-set drama series. Of course, Sheridan knew that Thornton was the man for the job from the beginning and essentially wrote "Landman" for the actor, who has been nothing but complimentary of his experience making the Paramount+ show.

That said, "Landman" has its share of on-set challenges, the biggest of which comes from shooting in 100-plus degree West Texas temperatures. Still, that would never stop a man like Thornton from finishing the job, especially since it sounds like he damn-near froze to death while shooting "A Simple Plan."

"A Simple Plan" is a neo-noir crime thriller from the great Sam Raimi and writer Scott B. Smith, who adapted his own 1993 novel of the same name. It stars Bill Paxton as Hank Mitchell, an accountant who, along with his brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and friend Lou Chambers (Brent Briscoe), discovers a downed plane in the woods. Much to the trio's surprise, they find $4.4 million in cash on the aircraft and, in agreement with Hank's wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda), decide to keep the money. In an attempt to ensure they're not pursued for the cash, however, the group elect to hold onto it until the plane is found.

Thus begins a series of truly incredible events involving murder and deceit that wouldn't be out of place on a Taylor Sheridan melodrama. As the pressure mounts, the group become suspicious of one another and begin to fracture, with things ultimately turning violent as law enforcement zeroes in on the theft.

"A Simple Plan" (which earned a perfect score from Roger Ebert) was shot in early 1998 in Delano, Minnesota. That is to say, this movie was shot in a very cold environment. Making matters worse, production had to move to the north of the state at one point in order to get the required levels of snow that was needed. All of this made shooting the movie a challenge, with production designer Patrizia Von Brandenstein having once told CinemaReview that she often had to wait to do her job on the movie's exteriors due to the inclement weather. On top of all that, Thornton had to shoot the hardest scene he'd ever filmed in what he's claimed were temperatures "60 below zero.

Billy Bob Thornton has endured some hard times, like when he made "London Fields" (a crime thriller with a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score). But the hardest on-set experience he's had came on "A Simple Plan." Speaking to Collider in 2024, the "Landman" star explained how one scene involving Bill Paxton, and Chelsea Ross, who played a local sheriff, was almost impossible to shoot due to the extreme cold. "The windchill that night in Upper Wisconsin was 60 below zero," he recalled. "There was hardly any way to stay still. We're shivering every minute. They had tents with those old space heaters that kind of looked like a rocket and shot fire out on them, and even that didn't warm you up."

According to Thornton, standing near heaters would "catch your clothes on fire," which left the actors and crew little to combat the cold. "I didn't know how we were gonna get through that," Thornton continued. "I mean, to actually say dialogue, and be real, and try to ignore that kind of cold — that was probably the hardest thing I ever did in my life." The actor also remembered reviews highlighting the way in which his character couldn't stay still during the scene: "I remember some critics saying it was such an interesting choice that I chose to move my legs back and forth. It's like, that wasn't a choice, man."

Thankfully, his efforts on the movie were all worth it when he gained his Oscar nomination. "A Simple Plan" is one of Billy Bob Thornton's best movies. It's well worth a watch by itself but especially for Thronton's layered performance, which is even better than his brilliant portrayal of Tommy Norris on "Landman."