Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 1, episode 10!Landmanstar Michelle Randolph explains why she’s “thankful” the show undersold her character at the beginning, only to give her a deeper story later. Randolph portrayed Tommy’s (Billy Bob Thornton) daughter Ainsley in the oil-focused drama, a 17-year-old whose introduction played into stereotypes of a spoiled young girl with a focus on fashion and boys. However, despitecontroversy surrounding Ainsley’s portrayal inLandman, the show slowly offered her more character development. As she becomes enamored with star quarterback Ryder Simpson (Mitchell Slaggert), she reveals a more thoughtful side to herself as the series progresses.
Speaking withDeadline, Randolph explained how grateful she was that Ainsley started out less-developed duringLandman’s early episodes. She explained this was the case for both her character and Ali Larter’s Angela, Tommy’s wife,with both characters being introduced “at their most extreme.“This allowed both of them to grow over the course of the story, evolving into more fleshed-out characters that subverted the tropes they were originally introduced with. Check out what Randolph had to say below:
When you start a show, it’s so hard, because you don’t know your full character. Knowing who she is in episode 10 was really hard when episode one was just coming out. I was like, that’s not all she has to do! But also, in general, we meet Ainsley and Angela at their most extreme, then we get to see them evolve. You don’t want to meet the fully evolved version of a character. If you don’t get to see the growth, then it’s not fun to watch. So I am thankful that we got to meet Ainsley at point A and hopefully by the time the show’s done, however many seasons, we’ll meet her at Z.
What Randolph’s Statement Says About Ainsley’s Development In Landman
The Decision Ended Up Benefiting Her Character Arc
When Ainsley is first introduced, she’s infatuated with her boyfriend, Dakota Loving (Drake Rodger), who turns out to only be using her for her body. This sparks a change in her character, as,when she’s together with Ryder, she showcases how she wants a fun yet emotionally mature relationship with him. Despite being acharacter inLandmanwhose story isn’t directly connected to the oil industry, she still managed to earn development over time by showcasing she wanted more than just to be spoiled by others.
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This also comes in the form of her helping Angela at the nursing home, with the pair taking elderly residents everywhere from the bowling alley to a strip club. She even convinced Ryder to act as a male stripper, one last test for her to confirm he really does care about her on an emotional level.Landmanseason 1 endedwith her character still displaying facets of her original personality,but doing so in a way that emphasizes she’s more than a stereotype. She has goals she managed to achieve, doing so because she wanted a genuine, loving relationship.
Michelle Randolph also plays Elizabeth Strafford in1923, both shows created by Taylor Sheridan.
Our Take On Ainsley’s Development In Landman Season 1
Fleshing Out Her Character While Leaving Room For More
Because of the depth Ainsley gets throughout the series, Randolph is right that the show managed her character well by allowing her development to slowly play out. However, with her goals now secured, it leaves plenty of room to expand on her role in a possibleLandmanseason 2, which could explore her life after meeting the man of her dreams. With plenty of possibilities for her future, the series can continue building on her baseline to give even more dimensions to Tommy’s daughter.
Landman
Cast
Set in West Texas, this series explores the world of oil rigs and the fortunes they create. It portrays a modern upstairs/downstairs narrative of roughnecks and billionaires, highlighting the profound impact on the climate, economy, and geopolitics in these boomtowns.
