Jacob Lofland Was Drawn Towards Landman For A Deeply Emotional Reason

Jacob Lofland's Cooper Norris is one of the more grounded characters on "Landman," and the show is all the better for it. Providing a more naturalistic element to a show that often veers into absurdity makes Lofland a crucial part of the project. The young actor has always had a striking authenticity, and that was only bolstered by he fact he was drawn to Taylor Sheridan's oil drama for a deeply personal reason. It turns out that Lofland's father, Billy Lofland, worked in the oil industry and passed away the same year that "Landman" debuted.

Long before "Landman" Jacob Lofland made his debut in a critically-acclaimed Matthew McConaughey drama. 2012's "Mud" was an American neorealist effort by Jeff Nichols, in which McConaughey played a fugitive who befriends two local Arkansas kids on his quest to reunite with his lover. Easily one of McConaughey's best films, "Mud" had plenty working in its favor, and Lofland was a prime example. Prior to his casting, he hadn't appeared in anything and never even considered a career in acting. After appearing in Nichols' drama, however, he never looked back, building an impressive filmography in show business and even re-teaming with McConaughey for an intense Civil War drama in 2016.

That wouldn't be the last time the pair would collaborate. In 2025, Lofland and McConnaughey sat down for a back-and-forth that was published in Interview magazine. It was during this conversation that the former revealed he had lost his father shortly before the debut of "Landman" Season 1 on Paramount+ the previous year.

Billy Bob Thornton's favorite "Landman" scene with Jacob Lofland is easily one of the show's best. The fellow native Arkansans delivered one of the most quietly powerful interactions in the entire series when their characters Cooper and Tommy Norris discussed their history as father and son. So personal was this moment for Thornton that his tears in the scene were 100% genuine. But then, for Lofland, his entire "Landman" journey started out on a deeply personal note. 

During their Interview magazine conversation, Matthew McConaughey asked Lofland about the themes of power, family, and survival in "Landman" and whether they drew him to the project. "Man, I really connected with the oil field in general," he replied. "My dad used to do it. I just lost my dad this last year, actually, so it means a lot." An online obituary reveals that Billy Lofland passed away on July 5, 2024. "Landman" Season 1 debuted in November of that year, but according to the Star-Telegram, it had wrapped filming on June 25. That means Lofland was filming the series towards the end of his father's life, which must have made it all the more significant for him. 

According to the actor, his late father used to tell him stories about working in the oil fields, and having a sense of real-life oil workers' experiences was a big part of the attraction to "Landman" for him. "I really love showing this world we've never gotten to see inside of," he continued. "No one understands how dangerous it really is and how much we rely on it, so I wanted to be a part of bringing that to the forefront."