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Ali Larter wanted her 'Landman' wild cat Angela to 'live in all her glory'

Ali Larter and Billy Bob Thornton star in "Landman." New episodes air on Sundays. Photo courtesy of Paramount+
1 of 6 | Ali Larter and Billy Bob Thornton star in "Landman." New episodes air on Sundays. Photo courtesy of Paramount+

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Varsity Blues, Final Destination and Heroes alum Ali Larter says tenacity and a convincing accent were crucial to playing outrageous Texas gold-digger Angela Norris in the new drama, Landman.

"She is such a wild cat that I was like: 'How do I harness her? How do I inhabit her?' and it was really about finding the confidence within myself," Larter, 48, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.

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"It's like the dialect coach and the preparation and then finding the confidence to really let her live in all her glory and that was the mental game for me and the challenge, for sure."

New episodes of the Paramount+ series stream Sundays.

Based on Christian Wallace's Boomtown podcast and created by Yellowstone mastermind Taylor Sheridan, the drama follows characters -- from roughnecks to billionaires -- who are involved in the oil and gas industry in West Texas.

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Making up the dysfunctional Norris family are Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton), the overworked, stressed-out, but highly skilled fixer for an independent oil company; attention-seeking Angela, the estranged wife who has just returned to Tommy after her lucrative second marriage ends; Tommy and Angela's son Cooper (Jacob Lofland), who is learning the family business from the ground up: and his sister, college-bound Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), who is determined to marry a rich quarterback.

Larter describes Angela as an "emotional tornado."

"She feels everything 110% from whether she's cooking her Bolognese, Michelin-star dinner, she's redecorating the house, or she's on the stair-master," Larter added.

"Everything is intense and full-force. She's very spirited, but she also loves really, really hard and she loves her family."

Angela is also a survivor, according to Larter.

"She's someone who has been through -- with Tommy -- the boom and the bust, and it's affected their lives," she said.

"She's seen her life crumble before and known that she's had to put it back together, so one side of her you might see so bright and shiny, but there definitely is the pain of what she's experienced in her life."

Angela's life with Tommy might not be as secure and luxurious as the one she shared with her second ex-husband, but it is filled with fun and romance, and that's what she is looking for right now.

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"There's something about someone being able to have a real relationship, where someone sees you and understands you and loves you for who you are," Larter said.

"There's something to be said for laughter, and they love to laugh together, and they have fun, and even when the [expletive] hits the fan and things are falling apart and they're fighting, they still find a way to give themselves a hug, kiss and a laugh at the end. I think that's the beauty of that relationship that you just don't see all the time."

Passionate about her children, as well, Angela is always affectionate, even when she is self-absorbed or giving them terrible advice about their plans for the future.

"She's full of love and best intentions, but sometimes I think that they go awry and, so, her version of being the best mother may not be society's version of it," Larter said.

"She loves to get into trouble and she loves to have fun and she has some hopes and dreams for her daughter that other people may not have for theirs."

She doesn't approve of Cooper following his dad's path either.

"She's struggling with the idea that he could die. He's already been hurt a few times," Larter said.

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"She does not want him in that world. She wanted him to finish school. So, I think that's a challenge, and I think that her coming back to put her family back together is also so that she can kind of heal everyone a little bit and keep an eye on what's happening."

The real-life New Jersey native said she did not go into this project knowing a lot about the oil industry, so she listened to Boomtown and read Sheridan's scripts to get up to speed.

"The podcast was really the foundation and the groundwork for Landman and then Taylor came in to really create all these characters and weave these story lines together like nobody else in the world can," Larter said.

"He's a brilliant writer and, so, I think that what you see is a real authentic eye into the dangerous world of oil in the Permian Basin, and that we're pumping more oil there than we are in Saudi Arabia right now," she added. "So, take out the politics of the show, this is a real, authentic eye into this world. Agree or disagree, we're going to take you for a real ride."

Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore attend 'Landman' premiere

Cast members Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore attend the premiere of Paramount + series "Landman" at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on November 12, 2024. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

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