Michelle Randolph Has Seen the Reactions to Her ‘Landman’ Character: “It’s Sparking Conversation”

[This story contains some spoilers from the Yellowstone season 5B finale and 1923 season one.]

Michelle Randolph has only scratched the surface with her Landman character.

On Taylor Sheridan‘s newest Paramount+ series, the West Texas-set drama about the oil industry follows Billy Bob Thornton as corporate fixer Tommy Norris. His job working for an oil titan (Jon Hamm) and running the fields known as “the patch” have life-and-death stakes, as was shown with last week’s near-fatal attack on his son, played by Jacob Lofland. Yet the relationships that cause him the most (comedic) stress are with the rest of his vibrant family: the ex-wife he recently reconciled with, played by Ali Larter, and their 17-year-old daughter played by Randolph.

Randolph’s character, Ainsley, made her introduction in a now-viral scene that saw her explicitly talking to her father about her sex rules, and casually parading around his house — which he shares with two other oil men of similar age — in bikinis and her underwear. The Landman premiere, which debuted after Sheridan’s mothership series Yellowstone, nabbed Paramount+ its biggest launch in two years. With so many people watching also came the reactions to Sheridan’s writing for 17-year-old Ainsley.

“It’s hard to not be aware of it,” Randolph tells The Hollywood Reporter about the response to her character. But Randolph spent a year prepping Ainsley, even developing a backstory for the teenager even if viewers haven’t seen it yet. “She is very special to me, and there’s a lot more to her than I think you initially get to see. I can’t tell people how to interpret my character, but at least it’s sparking conversation. And I’m really proud of the show that we made.”

Landman is the second Sheridan series for Randolph, who is readying to release season two of Yellowstone prequel 1923. In that period drama, Randolph plays a completely different character as Liz Dutton, one of the ancestors of the Montana cattle ranch family of the flagship series who ended season one a heartbreaking note. “I mean, it’s 1923, who isn’t put through the wringer?” she says of the neo-Western saga.

Below, in a chat with THR, Randolph dives into playing Ainsley on Landman, teases 1923 season two and reacts to the Yellowstone finale — which may have settled a key theory about her character and John Dutton (the character played by departed star Kevin Costner).

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It’s wild to see you in Landman after watching you in 1923. Your characters are so different. What is your Taylor Sheridan casting story with Landman?

1923 was at the tail-end of releasing, so I was in 1923 world. I thought we were going to be doing season two shortly after. [Season two was delayed by the Hollywood strikes; with two years between seasons airing.] I had heard rumblings about Landman. I had read the plotline and thought it was a cool show. I knew this character Ainsley existed, but it wasn’t even worth mentioning to my team at that point because I knew I couldn’t.

Then one day I’m sitting at home and “Taylor Sheridan” pops up on my phone screen. The last thing on my mind was Landman. I thought he was calling about something with 1923. And he said, “There’s this project and this character; I want you to put it on tape by tomorrow morning.” He sent me the sides. They were 18 pages long and I had 12 hours to put it on tape. He said, “By the way, the character has an accent.” I’m thinking, “How am I going to pull off a Southern accent in 12 hours?” So, I dropped the accent. I’d rather not do a shitty accent. He called me the next day and said I booked it! It was so surreal. I’m still just pinching myself and happy to be a part of it.

I’ve spoken to Dawn Olivieri about playing multiple roles for Taylor Sheridan. She played two different roles within the Yellowstone-verse; you are playing two roles within the larger Sheridan-verse. [1923 and Landman aren’t connected.] Olivieri told me it shows that Sheridan can do “whatever the fuck he wants” by having actors play in different shows within his slate. What have you learned from working with him?

I’ve learned that Taylor Sheridan is a genius, and he can write any and all different types of shows. Working on 1923 and then working on Landman, and then going back to 1923 [for season two], they are just so separate and different, and equally interesting to me. The fact that he is able to write so many different characters and every storyline is so unique and specific, I think he’s an incredible writer and I love working with him. Put me in something else — I’ll do a third!

People have a lot of thoughts about your Landman character. Have you been following along with the reactions?

It’s hard to not be aware of it. But I disassociate and the thing is, I got the script. I read it. I had my moments, my thoughts. Some of the things that Ainsley has to say are shocking and there were moments where I thought, “I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off.” I want to find the most human version of this character that I can, and I work really hard at doing that. But my job ended when I finished my last day on set, and then I released it. The show went out. I can’t tell people how to interpret my character, but at least it’s sparking conversation. And I’m really proud of the show that we made.

Who did you base Ainsley on; where did you get your inspiration?

I worked with a dialect coach, a movement coach and an acting coach and I just studied like crazy. I had about a year almost to prep for her. The strike happened and filming got delayed. It was incredibly helpful to kind of sit with that character. I worked really hard to find ways to justify her behavior and make a full human out of something that doesn’t always seem like what a 17-year-old would say, but people like that exist.

I watched Jane Fonda in Barefoot in the Park and a lot of her first films because she’s so comedic, and Ainsley is quite comedic. I watched the movie Sideways that I got a lot of inspiration from, a kind of grounded comedy. I listened to so much country music. And just being around Ali [Larter] and Billy [Bob Thornton] and Jacob [Lofland] and being in Texas really helped create this full person that Ainsley is. She has this free essence about her and she’s wild, and I loved every second of it.

Sounds like different prep work than you did at Taylor Sheridan’s cowboy camp for 1923.

Yes. This required 10 times more prep for me. I wanted to be very careful about the way that Ainsley comes across. There’s only so much that I can control, but you also can control a lot as an actor. But cowboy camp — I loved cowboy camp! It was basically summer camp; it was adult summer camp.

Have you watched the Yellowstone finale yet and do you know how it ended?

I haven’t seen the finale yet.

Are you OK if I spoil something for you? It’s more of a 1923 spoiler than a Yellowstone spoiler.

Yes, go ahead.

At the end of the season 5B finale, Elsa Dutton (voiced by Isabel May, who narrates both Yellowstone prequel series 1883 and 1923), made a voice cameo return to say that the Duttons had been there for seven generations. There are a lot of viewers who are obsessed with figuring out the Dutton family tree and it seems that Elsa just lined up your 1923 character, Liz Dutton, to be the grandmother of Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton. This is something I know you all had speculated about after 1923 season one.

This is the first I’m hearing about this! Season one we all were like, “I’m the grandparent” and “No, I’m the grandparent!” But none of us really knew. And so… that’s interesting. I’ve looked at a lot of family trees. I’m invested, too.

We last left your 1923 character after she had a miscarriage, and her and husband Jack (Darren Mann) accepting that she never may be able to carry a child. What can you tease about season two (returning Feb. 23) and where we will pick up with Liz?

Everything is crazy. It’s a wild ride, season two. I had a lot of fun getting to play Elizabeth because I think we get to see a different side of her in season two. She’s a Dutton now and she is put through the wringer. But everyone is. I mean it’s 1923, who isn’t put through the wringer? They all were in season one, too.

It’s worth the wait. I was really curious because I had no idea where Taylor was going with season two. When we got the scripts and started filming I just thought, “Wow.” It was worth the two years in between. You have high expectations, and they are met.

Brandon Sklenar told THR that season two was the second half of the 1923 story that Taylor Sheridan wanted to tell. It’s presumably a two-season series. Now that you’ve finished filming, does it feel like a bookend to the story?

It definitely feels like a second half. I think when you love characters and love a story, you never want it to end. So even if it is closure for the audience, it never feels like it’s enough. But it’s definitely the second half.

Jennifer Carpenter joined the 1923 season two cast. Did you two have any scenes together?

No. The thing with 1923, and also Landman, and what I think is cool about Taylor’s shows, is that he writes all these different storylines and some of them end up bleeding into each other. And then we get to see different dynamics and so there might be some of that in season two.

Circling back to Landman, Billy Bob Thornton hopes the show will go on for multiple seasons. Are you hopeful that you could continue?

I have so much more in me for Ainsley, I would love to be able to continue playing her. I think in order to create a character properly you have to create a backstory, or have strong opinions on the relationships they have. I could film a whole show called Ainsley at this point, and it would probably be very different than what the audience thinks it would be. She is very special to me, and there’s a lot more to her than I think you initially get to see.

What would you want to dig into more with Ainsley?

She’s 17 and she’s growing. I think she gets it more than the audience gets to see. There are moments where your realize that she can be, not manipulative, but she knows how to play her dad, and also her mom. She knows how to get what she wants. She loves her family. She is figuring out who she is and meeting different peers and going to school. She’s not just the bratty young daughter; she is a person. We get to see five percent of who Ainsley is. Hopefully as the show goes on, we get to see all of who she is.

Did you and Ali Larter spend a lot of time together before filming to get so in sync as mother-daughter?

We spent so much time together. I love her so much. We wouldn’t even realize it, but we would do things on opposite sides of the room in the exact same way. I don’t know if our energies just morphed into one, but when we would film scenes together, I didn’t feel like we were at work at all. It was just like me an Ali, hanging out!

Is there another Sheridan-verse show you would want to pop over to?

I’m excited to see [Yellowstone spinoff series] The Madison. I’m very intrigued by that. I only know little things, because a lof of Taylor’s crew works on multiple shows. Apparently, it’s going to be great.

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Landman releases new episodes Sundays on Paramount+; the seventh episode in the 10-episode season released on Dec. 22.