Countryman has firmly established itself as one of the biggest shows of the year and we were recently able to meet the show’s leading lady, Ali Larter (Final destination; Legally blonde; Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) to talk about playing one of the most fiery characters of her career.

Larter breaks off her work alongside the legendary Billy Bob Thornton for the first time and with series creator Taylor Sheridan for the first time, and also addresses the question of what brings her character back into the fold after some time away.

According to the synopsis, Countryman Is “Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day story about the search for fortune in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story about bullies and wild billionaires fueling a boom so big it’s changing our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.“

Billy Bob Thornton stars in the series, with a supporting cast including Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chavez, Kayla Wallace, Mark Collie, James Jordan, Demi Moore and Jon Hamm.

Watch our full video interview with star Ali Larter (“Angela Norris”) below and/or scroll further to read the transcript. Also, please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!

ROHAN: This is your first collaboration with Billy Bob Thornton. What was it like working with him and finding the chemistry you needed for a role like this?

ALI: I mean, you never know if you’re going to have it or not. I mean, Taylor is definitely proud of his cast, and with this cast in particular, it’s really special. And the whole thing really worked, even the family dynamic that we felt with Cooper and Ainsley. I mean, it all just works, and you can really see that in that fabulous, awkward, brutally painful dinner, that big scene that I love so much, where you really see everyone together.

And with Billy, you know, he’s number one on the list and sets the tone for what’s going to happen. And he is there, he is really present. He cares about the material. I still think he loves making films and telling stories and he’s inspiring to be around. And he’s also very generous with the crew, you know, and we both approach it the same way, you know, we bring a tremendous amount of respect every day on set, and that’s not always the norm in our industry, and It really changes the whole nature of photography when you’re with someone so considerate.

ROHAN: Billy’s character Tommy has a really stressful job and then, early in the season, we see your character Angela come back into his life, not only at a big time in his life, but in her children’s lives as well. What do you think are her reasons for re-emerging at this crucial moment?

ALI: That’s a great question. I think this show is set in the world of oil in the Permian Basin, and if you look at Tommy and Angela when they fell in love, it’s first love, you know, it’s the father of their children, And then, you know You, you’re in this boom and bust. And in the series you learn more and more about how her world completely collapsed and how she had to find a way to provide for her children.

So when she comes back and revisits her true love, she thinks about how to put that back together, whether she should or not, and then, you know, with Billy and I, that’s one of the things we put into this show what they wanted was for these characters to really see each other, you know, and they don’t, they actually love them, even with their flaws and weaknesses. And I think that’s fun, and they love having a good time, like they’re laughing, and it’s a very lively relationship. So I think that’s what she’s doing and I also think her son is now getting involved in the oil business and she’s trying to run her daughter and I think Angela’s trying everything in you’re stuck, just sometimes a little misguided.

ROHAN: This is your first time working on a Taylor Sheridan show and I can imagine it’s quite a unique experience. What was your experience working closely with Taylor and bringing out this performance?

ALI: Look, I mean, on my first day of filming, you know, I’m on a G5, there’s a crew of 300 people, there’s cameras whipping through the air, and suddenly I hear action and I’m like: There’s no rehearsal, there are no blockages. I haven’t even heard this scene out loud, and suddenly the door opens and I have to leave. When you work with Taylor, it’s just a high stakes game, and he lives in the Wild West, just like Texas.

So you better be prepared and better able to handle the heat when working with him. And for me, it was just like I was so prepared that I was able to deliver no matter what environment I went into. That was a really big part of it for me. I also feel like Taylor and I have a shorthand and if he wants to come in and give me a message. He can only give me one word, you know, and one thing he said to me: He kept pushing me to be bigger and wilder, and oh, and I thought, “Taylor, this is too much.” And he said, “It’s too big,” and he said, “There’s no such thing as big when there’s emotional depth.” And the way he wrote this character and the way I built her is filled with emotional depth, so we gave her freedom, so wild, so to be passionate and so soulful.

Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, LANDMAN is a modern-day story about the search for fortune in the world of oil rigs.

The new original drama series will star Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton. In addition to Thornton, the series stars Ali Larter (The Last Victim), Michelle Randolph (1923), Jacob Lofland (Joker 2), Kayla Wallace (When Calls the Heart), James Jordan (Yellowstone), Mark Collie (Nashville), Paulina Chávez (The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia) and Demi Moore (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans). Jon Hamm (Mad Men) will appear in a recurring guest role with Andy Garcia (Expendables franchise) and Michael Peña (End of Watch) guest starring.

Countryman is now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes every Sunday!