Billy Bob Thornton Reveals How ‘1883’ Cameo Led to ‘Landman’ Series (Exclusive)

Billy Bob Thornton is dishing on “Landman,” the new Taylor Sheridan series set in West Texas about roughnecks and billionaires trying to get rich quick in the oil business.

“Extra’s” Adam Weissler spoke Thornton, who explained how his cameo on Sheridan’s “1883” led to Taylor writing this new role with him in mind.

Thornton noted, “When I did the cameo for him in ‘1883,’ we were at the after-dinner of the premiere in Las Vegas and he said, ‘I’m writing this thing for you. It’s called ‘Landman.’ He said, ‘I’m glad I got to hang out with you some because I think I have your voice.’ He explained it to me and I thought, you know, ‘That’s a world that a lot of people don’t know much about, and that’s always intriguing,’... and he told me about the character and he said, ‘Essentially, he’s you if you were a landman,’ and I said, ‘Okay, I think I can do that.’”

While Billy Bob might have been able to ease into his character, it was a “pretty hard shoot.” He explained, “The hours and the amount of work I had to do and the weather conditions… I really felt like I was in Texas working in the oil business, and when I got home at night, I was exhausted, had to get up the next day, do it again.”

Does Billy Bob anticipate a Season 2? He answered, “I guess we got to get through this one first and see how the audience reacts… You never know how this is going to swing, so hopefully people love it and hopefully we get to do it again.”

Billy said he has become “more picky now” with his projects so he has time to make music and tour.

He noted, “When you’re coming up, you know, you take whatever you can get, and then, once you have the ability to choose, then you try to choose well… When you’re younger, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, five movies this year? Sure, why not?’ These days, it’s like, ‘How about one?,’ you know?”

“As you know, I tour a lot with the band. I’m in the studio recording, and then if I can make a record, do a tour, one movie or TV thing, then I’m good for the year,” he pointed out.

Thornton just finished a tour with The Boxmasters before traveling the world to promote “Landman.”