“I’M NOT APOLOGIZING FOR REALITY.” — Billy Bob Thornton Fires Back as Landman Sparks a Full-Blown Hollywood Clash Billy Bob Thornton isn’t smoothing anything over. As Landman draws heat for being “too much,” Thornton plants his feet and defends co-star Ali Larter with a blunt truth: these characters aren’t caricatures — they’re reflections. Pulled straight from the oil fields and back roads of Arkansas and Texas, the people critics dismiss as exaggerated are, to him, painfully familiar. This isn’t PR spin. It’s personal. Thornton argues the backlash says less about the show and more about who gets to decide what “real” looks like on screen. While critics argue from afar, Landman keeps charging ahead — loud, rough-edged, and unwilling to ask permission. No apologies. No softening. Just a hard line drawn — and Thornton daring Hollywood to step over it.

  • byJasmin
  • January 20, 2026
  • 2 minute read
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Billy Bob Thornton Just Went Nuclear To Protect His Co-Star—And Hollywood Is Shaking

Thornton also shielded creator Taylor Sheridan from criticism

Billy Bob Thornton has defended his co-star’s “cartoonish” role in new series Landman.

Landman is the latest series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, who created the show alongside Christian Wallace. It’s based on Wallace’s own podcast, Boomtown, and follows oil rig executive Tommy Noris (Thornton) as he tries to steer his company to the top amid a fuelling boom.

In the series, Final Destination and Heroes actor Ali Larter plays Tommy’s ex-wife, Angela – and Larter’s performance has drawn criticism from reviewers who described her performance as overdone.

However, Thornton, who has just received a Golden Globe nomination for his role, disagrees with this notion and, in a new interview about the show, he acknowledged that, while Sheridan has found success with his TV show empire, he has “had a hard way to go with the critics over the years”.

Thornton, 69, told Deadline: “I mean, he’s such a powerful guy. It’s easy to knock him down. But he’s had the best reviews he’s ever had for Landman.

“Some of them mentioned the women and how Ali’s character may be a little cartoonish or whatever. And I got to tell you, I was raised down there in Arkansas and Texas, and women like Ali exist. It’s hard to look that good, but some of ’em do.

He continued: “I mean, there are women around that Dallas-Fort Worth area who look like models, and they’re just like elbows and eyebrows every minute.”

Ali Larter’s ‘Landman’ role has been described as ‘cartoonish’
Ali Larter’s ‘Landman’ role has been described as ‘cartoonish’ (Paramount)

One of Sheridan’s other shows, Yellowstone, is drawing to an end later this month.

*Spoilers for Yellowstone follow below*

The conclusion to the series that follows ranch owners in Montana has been killing off multiple characters, including Kevin Costner’s lead character whose departure from the series has been well documented and mired in controversy.

After the airing of his character’s death, the Oscar winner said: “I didn’t see it. I’m going to be perfectly honest. I didn’t know it was actually airing last night. I didn’t realise yesterday was the thing.”

In the most recent episode of Yellowstone’s final season, Sheridan himself showed up alongside supermodel Bella Hadid, whom he cast as his girlfriend.

Landman is available to stream on Paramount+

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