Landman’s Billy Bob Thornton Spills on Taylor Sheridan’s Award Snubs

Billy Bob Thornton, who stars in Landman, has shared his thoughts on why Taylor Sheridan’s work often gets overlooked at big awards shows. Despite the popularity of Sheridan’s series and films, they’ve repeatedly missed out on recognition at the Golden Globes and Oscars. Thornton reckons it’s down to how people perceive Sheridan’s political leanings.

According to Thornton, there’s a common assumption that Sheridan is a “right-wing bloke”, which he says isn’t accurate. Even though Landman dives into the oil industry, Thornton points out that the show isn’t pushing any agenda.

I think some people assume Taylor is some sort of right-wing guy or something, and he’s really not. Even with this show being about the oil business, he just shows you what it’s like. He’s not saying ‘Rah, rah, rah for oil.’

He adds,

It’s a world of gambling, and you never know what’s going to happen. But I think people got the wrong idea about that.

Public Perception and Sheridan’s Real Stance

It’s not hard to see why some punters might peg Sheridan as leaning to the right, especially given the themes running through his shows, which often centre on authority and power. But Sheridan himself has addressed these assumptions in the past. Back in 2019, when films like Wind River and Sicario stirred up debate, Sheridan described himself as “apolitical publicly”. He also suggested that those labelling his work as a “red-state show” probably hadn’t actually watched it.

If you truly look at this show or Wind River or Sicario, these are pretty wildly progressive notions. The people who are calling it a red-state show have probably never watched it.

Sheridan went on to say,

But I’m not just going to show you one side. I’m going to show you all sides.

How Sheridan Tackles Politics in His Stories

Sheridan’s approach is to lay out every angle of an issue, rather than pushing a single viewpoint. Take Yellowstone for example: John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, runs for governor on a platform that resists change, but the show doesn’t shy away from showing his character’s questionable methods for holding onto power.

In Sicario, the audience follows Kate Mercer, played by Emily Blunt, only to discover that the real authority figures—portrayed by Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro—aren’t exactly painted in a positive light. Still, viewers found themselves drawn to these complex characters, not because of their politics, but because of how Sheridan crafted them.

Character Over Politics

Sheridan has said his main focus is on building characters and letting the audience decide what to make of them. He’s not out to preach or push his own views, but rather to reflect the world back at viewers and let them draw their own conclusions.

For those interested in the details, Landman was created by Sheridan and stars Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, and Michelle Randolph. The show has scored an 8.2/10 on IMDb and a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is available to stream on Paramount+.