Before Landman, Jacob Lofland Had A Small Part In A Beloved Sci-Fi Trilogy

Before he became known as the quietly ambitious son of Tommy Norris on "Landman," Jacob Lofland played Aris in the "Maze Runner" film trilogy. Not only that, it was his most high-profile role prior to portraying Cooper Norris on the hugely popular oil drama.

You've got to wonder if Lofland got the scripts for "Landman" season 2, saw his character referred to as a "skinny stray-dog-looking white boy," and paused. Co-creator and writer Taylor Sheridan might have been writing about Cooper Norris, but ... was he? Like a forsaken pup, Lofland has a kind of stoic aura, like he's seen more than he should have long before he should have seen it. That is to say, he appears wise beyond his years, and it's this quality that's made him a standout in pretty much every project in which he's appeared.

Lofland made his screen debut in the celebrated Matthew McConaughey-led drama "Mud," which opened in theaters in 2013. At the time, Lofland was just a kid from the rural community of Briggsville, Arkansas, and hadn't ever considered a career in show business. But that was his secret weapon. The youngster brought a naturalism to his performance in the film that impressed "Mud" director Jeff Nichols. "Jacob has the very rare gift of being natural in front of a camera," as the filmmaker told the Arkansas Times around the time of the movie's theatrical release. "[...] You don't see a change in him between action and cut. It's a natural gift."

That same ability is what makes Cooper Norris one of the most compelling characters on "Landman." Of course, before Lofland landed what is easily his biggest role to date, he had to work his way up. That's where his small but significant role in the "Maze Runner" films comes in.

After "Mud," Jacob Lofland continued to land acting jobs, appearing in the 2014 drama "Little Accidents" and multiple episodes of Fox's Western series "Justified." He also landed a role on the Ray Liotta-led Western miniseries "Texas Rising" before making his debut in the "Maze Runner" movies.

2014's "The Maze Runner," in particular, was the best bang-for-buck box office hit of the Young Adult craze. The dystopian sci-fi actioner adapted James Dashner's 2009 novel of the same name and starred Dylan O'Brien as Thomas, a teenager who finds himself at the center of a giant labyrinth with no memory of his previous life. After meeting several other trapped teens, Thomas is charged with becoming a runner, which essentially means he has to explore the maze to find a way out. At the time, Lofland was busy playing the son of a dead coal miner in "Little Accidents," but he'd join the "Maze Runner" crew soon enough.

Dashner's popular novel series comprises three main books: "The Maze Runner," "The Scorch Trials," and "The Death Cure," alongside two prequel novels. So, when the first "Maze Runner" adaptation made $348 million in theaters on a $34 million budget, 20th Century Fox (as it was then known) went back to the books for a sequel. That film arrived in 2016 in the form of "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," and it was here that Lofland joined the cast as Aris, a survivor from one of the many other mazes in "Maze Runner" universe. Unfortunately, he, Thomas, and their fellow survivors soon find themselves on the run again, this time from a nefarious organization known as WCKD.

Jacob Lofland was still relatively inexperienced when he was cast in "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials." In an on-set interview, the then 18-year-old reflected on joining the franchise. "They were a very close cast," he recalled. "So, when I got here, I was kind of nervous to meet them." Thankfully, he was immediately welcomed. "What I love about working with these guys is no matter what you're part of the family, and that's what's great," Lofland added.

Clearly, things worked out for him. "The Scorch Trials" managed to rack up $310 million at the box office, which in turn led to Lofland returning for the 2018 trilogy finale, "Maze Runner: The Death Cure." That movie saw Thomas and his allies undertaking a mission to rescue the members of their group who'd been captured by WCKD at the end of "The Scorch Trials," leading them to the mysterious "Last City" (aka WCKD's base of operations). And while it didn't quite match the financial success of its predecessors, "The Death Cure" still brought in a respectable $265 million theatrically. By that point, however, Lofland had landed a recurring role as Young Eli McCullough on the prematurely canceled Pierce Brosnan-led Western series "The Son.". From there, Lofland played a small but important role in "Joker: Folie à Deux," which of course preceded his debut as Cooper Norris on "Landman."

Now, Lofland is preparing to change his approach to Cooper for "Landman" season 3. With Cooper becoming the head of his father's newly-formed oil company, there should be plenty of drama to come. But for those who can't wait to see how that all plays out, the "Maze Runner" films are an interesting insight into Lofland's development as an actor.