The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub speaks with Landman co-stars Kayla Wallace and Paulina Chávez.
Taylor Sheridan’s Landman is a modern story of finding fortune with the West Texas oil rigs.
In this interview, Wallace and Chávez discuss how daunting powerful monologues can be, what they learned about life on an oil rig, and putting their trust in Sheridan.

Both Kayla Wallace and Paulina Chávez are laudable television and streaming actors, Wallace on Hallmark’s beloved When Calls The Heart and Chávez as the eponymous Ashley Garcia on Netflix’s The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia . Now, the acclaimed performers lend their talents to Taylor Sheridan’s latest Western epic, Landman.

Helmed by Sheridan and inspired by the popular podcast Boomtown by series co-creator Christian Wallace, Landman takes place in the West Texas world of oil rigs. The series shows class disparities between the hard-working roughnecks and the billionaires fueling a boom so large it’s changing the world as we know it. Wallace plays Rebecca Savage, and Chávez plays Ariana. Landman also stars Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm.

For this interview, Wallace and Chávez sit down with Collider’s Steve Weintraub to talk about Landman. They discuss the powerful monologues that shaped their respective characters, the collaborative kindness of Taylor Sheridan, and the sheer danger of working on an oil rig.

The Secret to Delivering Powerful Monologues

COLLIDER: The first season is 10 episodes. For each of you, which is your favorite and why?

WALLACE: My favorite is Episode 4. I have some fun scenes in that episode that I get to really show Rebecca’s power.

I know exactly what you’re talking about. No spoilers here, but it’s a good monologue that you get to deliver in that episode. What is it like for you the day before you’re gonna film it, knowing you need to take command of this room, and you have all these people that are gonna be watching you, and it’s a lot of dialogue?

WALLACE: Those monologues definitely can be daunting, but you just have to stay with horse blinders, head in the game, and just know that all the work you’ve done ahead of time is gonna be there. A lot of trust in yourself, which is not always easy, but that’s what I had to do.

You did a very good job.

WALLACE: Thank you.

And which episode for you?

CHÁVEZ: My goodness. It’s so hard to choose. Two of my favorites are Episode 5 and, I think, 8. I have a scene with Billy Bob. It was so fun working with him, and that’s all I can say. But, Episode 5, those are the scenes that I auditioned with, so it felt so good to put it on its feet and work with wonderful people.

Image via Paramount+

I didn’t know that much about the oil industry prior to watching the show. I feel like I learned a lot. For both of you, I would imagine you did a lot of research before stepping on set. What did you learn about the industry that surprised you? Things you didn’t know.

CHÁVEZ: It’s all so complex, and I didn’t know how dangerous it was. I mean, I knew, but I didn’t really fully know the scope of it. I grew up in El Paso and in San Antonio, and we would drive through a lot of the oil fields. It was interesting to even watch some of the episodes and understand it a little bit better.

WALLACE: Definitely, the danger was the biggest takeaway. I mean, you can do one Google search and there are just so many accidents and things that happen on the job. It’s this big machine that’s got to keep going, and unfortunately, it’s pretty dangerous. That was the biggest takeaway.

CHÁVEZ: So dangerous.

In Taylor Sheridan We Trust
“He really cares, and it shows. It comes through in the work.”
Image via Paramount+

When you sign on to a show like this, how much are you asking about the full arc of my character? If we get to do a few years? And how much are you like, “I trust Taylor, this guy knows what he’s doing?”

WALLACE: We all trust.

CHÁVEZ: We all trust Taylor, yes.

WALLACE: The proof is in the pudding. He’s an incredible writer. I can speak for both of us that we feel incredibly lucky to be a part of a project that he’s created. He cares so much. He sat down and let me know my character’s backstory. Sat down with me before we started filming, which was really– you just don’t get that that often. He really cares, and it shows. It comes through in the work.

CHÁVEZ: Likewise, Likewise. It was very personal, and he was always a text and a call away if I had any questions. We really wanted to take care of Ariana’s storyline and do it the right way, so we were always having those conversations. And just know how special all these characters are, how they all come together, and coincide. But yeah, he sent me all the scripts after the strike. From there, I got to dig in further and see the arc of the characters. It was just beautiful.

What surprised both of you about the scripts as you were reading them? Because as I was watching them, there’s a lot of events that unfold that I did not see coming.

CHÁVEZ: It’s a script that I couldn’t put down. I had to just finish them. I had to read them all in one sitting and then read them again because they were just so good. They’re so captivating, and like you said, yes, everything comes, and you’re so surprised. There’s a lot of shocks and turns, for sure.

WALLACE: There’s a through-line of heartwarming events and conversations that happen. You really connect with these characters. Again, I could not put the scripts down. I just wanted to know what happened next.

Kayla Wallace and Paulina Chávez’s Big Upcoming Moments
Image via Paramount+

I’m always curious about tough scenes. Which shot or sequence in the first season ended up being the toughest for you to pull off and why? Could have been dialogue, could have been camera move, could have been anything.

WALLACE: I don’t think I can say [mine].

CHÁVEZ: I can’t either!

WALLACE: I had to interact with something I’ve never interacted with before, and I don’t think many people have.

I have so many questions. I have so many.

WALLACE: You’ll know when you see it in Episode 3.

CHÁVEZ: I had a big monologue, and it was an interesting one to put on its feet. We had a lot of coverage in it and it was a really long day. It was a fun one. I was always figuring out new things about Ariana throughout that scene. That’s all I can say. [Laughs]

It’s so interesting trying to promote, to talk about something where you can only talk so much.

CHÁVEZ: Yeah! It’s interesting.

’Landman’ Is Heartwarming and Funny
Image via Paramount+

I hate doing generic stuff but I will ask: what are you both most excited for audiences to experience and get out of the show?

CHÁVEZ: With Ariana, she’s a very resilient young woman. It’s gonna be fun to see her journey and how some people may relate to her.

WALLACE: It’s a beautiful storyline. It’s so beautiful. And like I said before, the heartwarming aspect of the show is gonna connect with a lot of people. I’m excited for people to see that because if you hear of a show about oil and gas, you don’t necessarily think “heartwarming,” [Laughs] but it totally is, and it’s very funny as well.

Landman is available to stream on Paramount+.

A modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of West Texas oil rigs.Where To Watch Paramount+

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