Ali Larter is okay with people objectifying her ‘Landman’ character

Ali Larter has no qualms with her character’s depiction on Landman.

The Final Destination star reflected on working on the Paramount+ oil drama from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, who has received backlash from some critics for his portrayal of female characters across his crime-drama TV empire.

“This is Taylor’s baby,” Larter said of Landman during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “Anytime I would take my foot off the pedal, Taylor was on step. He wants [my character Angela] loud and emotional, like a tornado of energy. The way he envisioned this show is that it has so many tones.”

Ali Larter on ‘Landman’ season 1, episode 3.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

The actress, who is no stranger to risqué portrayals — she wore a whipped-cream bikini in 1999 film Varsity Blues — welcomes her character’s sexualization.

“I’m also like, ‘Objectify me. C’mon,'” she told the outlet, laughing. “Nobody’s putting me in a position that I’m not comfortable being in. I have two children. I’ve been married for 19 years. I love playing this character. If there was something I was uncomfortable with, I wouldn’t do it. What’s more uncomfortable is that people are so uncomfortable by their sexuality.”

Recent criticism about the portrayal of women on the series has been brutal. EW’s review was titled, “Man, does this new Taylor Sheridan drama hate women”; Texas Monthly asked in January, “Where Are the Believable Female Characters in ‘Landman’?”; and NPR’s critic said, “Billy Bob Thornton is a strong ‘Landman’ – but the show’s women are often caricatures” — to name just a few of the headlines that have plagued the show.

Despite those complaints, the show has thrived — viewers have voted with their eyes. Larter praised Sheridan’s approach to female characters.

“I love that Taylor writes for older women — women in their prime, that were still allowed to be alive!” she said. “I love that he writes that. I know so many women who are like that. I love that she’s able to express that side of herself.”

The Heroes star also said she believes her character’s complexity hinges on her relationship with her ex-husband, Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton). Angela and Tommy’s relationship often stretches tautly, then springs back in unexpected ways.

“If I didn’t have the really grounded moments with Billy, it would be a different show for me,” she said. “That would be just one side, but this character is a full rainbow. I have so many parts of myself that I can put into her.”

Larter continued, “She wants to be flashy in a bikini and be all hot, and then you see her crumbling trying to keep her family together. You see her battling and feeling like she’s getting older. Then you see her finding her calling and going to this old folks home and giving these people hope to live and bringing joy into their life. It’s very multi-dimensional, and that’s why it doesn’t bother me. You can do all of it. I just go to the material and find it within my work.”

Ali Larter on ‘Landman’ season 1, episode 5.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

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The actress previously told Entertainment Weekly that she thinks Landman thrives on the scenes that gather much of the show’s ensemble for a single meal.

“The heart, for me, is the family dinners, when you see everyone together and you understand their dynamic — and that in its core also, it’s just a family trying to hold on and to love each other,” she said. 

She also detailed the efforts she undertook to maintain her character’s signature look, which is one part Real Housewives of West Texas and one part Coyote Ugly.

“We had to do weekly spray tans, I had to have my Gel-X’s put on every two weeks, there’s a lot that goes into looking like Angela Norris. And then that kind of seeped into my everyday life, because I had to keep it up,” she said.