Billy Bob Thornton Reveals the One Piece of Advice Every Man Should Heed
As down-to-earth guys go, it's hard to find someone more genuine than Billy Bob Thornton. Known for his eccentric persona in the 1990s, Thornton has emerged in the 2020s as a no-nonsense, confident, and surprisingly humble actor who, despite having just turned 70, doesn't seem to be slowing down. As Tommy Norris in the hit Taylor Sheridan-created series Landman, Thornton is as real as it gets.
He's the perfect spokesperson for T-Mobile's new commercials, telling it like it is.
"The T-Mobile thing was easy to do because I loved the people involved, and they were nice folks," Thornton tells Men's Journal. "I've never done a commercial before. So I said, 'I'll do this one if I can wear my own clothes and be myself.' But I'm not going to go out there and sell Preparation H and stuff like that."
Noted. I caught up with Thornton to get his thoughts on honesty, masculinity, and his take on the future of Landman.
Men's Journal: Your T-Mobile commercial and your character in Landman both feel grounded and honest. What does it mean to be an honest man today?
I mean, it's not easy, especially since when you're honest, you get punished for it. So it's a little weird to be an honest person today. You know what I mean?
In Landman, Tommy is wheeling and dealing, but he's a straight shooter. How much of that is core to you as well?
Taylor [Sheridan] wrote the show specifically for me. He wrote it in my voice to start with. And that makes it easy to go out there and put the hat on. I never want to look at characters as something separate from yourself anyway. I think you've got to put yourself in every character because then it'll be your best work. It's a pretty natural fit for me. But that's not the popular thing to say for actors. You're supposed to tell people how hard it was and how many lessons you took, how many accents you practiced, and all that kind of stuff, because that impresses critics. But I don't care.
Landman has such a universal appeal. Why is that?
One thing is that this cast had an instant chemistry, and that doesn't always happen. From top to bottom. We really are those people living together in this house. Demi [Moore] and me, we've known each other for a long time, and I've known Andy [Garcia] for a long time, too. And then, of course, there's Sam [Elliot]. So it's the three of them, like the old veterans working together.
Tommy has this great moment this season where he tells his son to give his girlfriend "a good listening to." I thought that was quite profound.
Taylor wrote that line brilliantly, and that is the truth. And it's a heck of a lot better and easier on everybody if you do that. Don't sit them down and give them a talking to, it's better to give them a listening to. I think spouses, parents, and children really want to feel heard.
There's basically two things with Tommy: One, he wants to keep the peace because he's got enough stuff going on already. And then there's a side of him that really has deep love for his whole family here. So, his advice is often good, even if he's a flawed guy.
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Any hints on what Landman Season 3 will be like?
Taylor plays it very close to the vest. He doesn't tell any of us what he's up to. He'll probably tell me, maybe after I get the first script. Then he'll tell me a few things that are going to happen. Right now, I don't know anything.
But, I have a feeling a lot of things are really going to ramp up [in Season 3]. Because the first season was so full of action stuff and danger. The second season was full of the family and business relationships. It's just a guess, but I'd imagine things will come to a head.