'You're too ugly to be a leading man': Billy Bob Thornton recalls advice from Billy Wilder as Landman 2 returns

In a recent Sunday Morning CBS News interview, Billy Bob Thornton recalls the exact words that could have ended his career before it began. At a Hollywood party in the 1980s he was working as a busboy when legendary director of Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder, pulled him aside and said-

“Forget about it. You're too ugly to be a leading man. You're too pretty to be a character actor.'"

Thornton asked what to do. Wilder replied-

“Write your own stories, create your own characters, don't stand in line with everybody else.'"

That moment changed his life forever. Thornton took the advice to heart. He wrote and directed Sling Blade in 1996. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was also got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance.

Currently Thornton is 70 and he headlines Taylor Sheridan’s biggest Paramount+ hit Landman. Season 2 drops November 16 with 10 new episodes released weekly on Sundays. The world premiere and first episode screening took place on November 9 at PaleyFest New York with Thornton, Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Jacob Lofland, Paulina Chávez, and co-creator Christian Wallace on stage.

The series is based on the Boomtown podcast by Christian Wallace and paints the brutal reality of West Texas oil that shows billion-dollar deals signed on tailgates, roughnecks dying for overtime, families torn between payday and safety. Thornton plays crisis fixer Tommy Norris – a man who negotiates mineral rights while dodging bullets, lawsuits and his own past.

He is a crisis-fixing landman for oil giant M-Tex. Demi Moore, Ali Larter, and Jacob Lofland co-star. Season 2 adds Sam Elliott as Tommy’s father and Andy Garcia. Jon Hamm is gone.

The show lays bare the West Texas action with roughnecks, billionaires and bodies in the dust. Season 2 cranks up the heat with embezzlement charges, family wars and corporate betrayal.

Billy Bob Thornton's journey in Landman season 2 

Thornton recently was interviewed by the CBS News. There he shared stories when he was a bus boy, how Billy Wilder inspired him to become something of his own instead of standing in line for audition with everybody else.

Growing up dirt poor in Arkansas kept him grounded. Machine shops and sawmills taught him real danger long before any stunt coordinator. He never forgot his roots and that's what kept him humble and grateful always.

Co star Ali Larter said Thornton never rehearses but just shows up ready to roll.

Thonrton picks roles that fit like old boots and skips anything that smells like awards bait. Real courage, he says, is stepping into a fight in a park, not chewing scenery for critics.

In Landman, Tommy feels like home. He said-

"I pretty much am playing myself if I were a landman."

The role fits because Sheridan wrote it in Thornton's voice. He added-

"I mean, the movie 'Giant,' one of my favorites, I mean, that took place in the oil business of West Texas. I always tell people that this is kind of like 'Giant,' with cursing!"

Thornton picks roles carefully. He turned down brave stunts. He said-

"A brave choice is to see someone being attacked in a park and go intervene; that's a brave choice. It's not a brave choice to do some weird thing in the middle of a scene, you know what I mean?"

Turning 70 rattled him more than he expected. Late-night talks with himself were required.

His brother’s early death ended the carefree years and forced adulthood fast.

These days gratitude wins. Between a hit show and his band The Boxmasters—19 albums and opening for The Who—he wakes up counting blessings instead of regrets.

Now he feels grateful. He said-

"We've all seen each other get older. When I see that wisdom and the respect that people have for them it just kind of makes everything melt away somehow. I mean I'm in a successful band and I'm in a successful show. Every day when I wake up I just say I'm blessed. That's really it."

Landman mirrors real oil life - dangers, gambles and pride. Thornton doubts he'll direct again. His stories feel outdated. But acting keeps him going.

Season 2 brings deeper family ties and brutal survival. The trailer shows accusations against M-Tex. Tommy's breaking point nears. New additions like Paulina Chávez and Kayla Wallace stir the pot.

Catch Landman Season 2 on Paramount+ starting November 16, 2025. New episodes drop weekly on Sundays. Watch season 1 now if you have missed it.

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