‘Landman’s Ali Larter Reveals Why Sam Elliott Will Change Audience’s Views on Angela and Ainsley Norris

Season 2 of Landman is officially streaming on Paramount+, and if there’s one thing Ali Larter wants viewers to know, it’s that Sam Elliott is about to shift the way audiences see the Norris women — both Angela and her daughter, Ainsley. Angela is one of the most divisive characters on television, but she’s magnetic. She FaceTimes, she flirts, she fights, she storms into rooms with the kind of energy that practically scrapes sparks off the walls.

“I get to play a character who is incredibly alive. She’s fiery and loves to break the rules, but has the capability to be incredibly vulnerable at times,” Larter previously said. “Landman is not easy, but my God, it is fulfilling.”

But what fans may not expect is how much Elliott — who plays Tommy Norris’ father — softens the lens through which the audience views Angela and her daughter, Ainsley. Larter lights up when she talks about working with him. “He is an absolute dream,” she says. “We immediately connected. He is such an honest and open man.”

One of their first scenes together involved the two sitting outside, looking out at horses. Before the cameras rolled, Elliott talked about his daughter and his wife — a real, quiet moment that immediately deepened their on-screen relationship. Larter remembers looking into his “big blue eyes… filled with such soul and depth.”

Why Do People Dislike Ali Larter on Landman?

It’s that energy — that soulfulness — that she believes will reshape how viewers understand her character. As she explains it, Elliott’s presence gives fans permission to see Angela and Ainsley the way his character does, which is with compassion, fondness, and a kind of unspoken tenderness rather than just two annoying blondes. “You can see in the way he looks at us that he sees the joy in our characters,” Larter says. “The audience gets to see us through his eyes, and it’s so special.”

That shift matters, especially for Angela, a character whose big personality can sometimes eclipse her softer edges. Season 2, though, leans heavily into that contrast, and a lot of that depth is drawn from Larter’s own thoughtful approach to performance. She’s not interested in clichés or stereotypes. “It doesn’t deeply interest me to play a cliché role,” she says. “I’d rather play someone bold and fearless and emotional.”

Landman Season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.