“Landman” Star Paulina Chávez Reveals the 'Key to Longevity' She Learned from Billy Bob Thornton (Exclusive)
“Landman” Star Paulina Chávez Reveals the 'Key to Longevity' She Learned from Billy Bob Thornton (Exclusive)
Deirdre Durkan, Amanda Champagne-MeadowsTue, May 26, 2026 at 2:24 PM UTC
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Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; JC Olivera/Deadline via Getty -
Paulina Chávez says Billy Bob Thornton taught her the importance of authenticity and “remembering where you come from”
The Landman star calls the cast a “real family” after the show’s intense second season
Chávez was honored with the Actress in a Breakthrough Role award at the Gracie Awards
As Landman continues to dominate as one of Paramount+’s biggest breakout hits, star Paulina Chávez says the show’s biggest lesson has come from working alongside Billy Bob Thornton.
While speaking to PEOPLE at the51st annual Gracie Awards held at The Beverly Wilshire on Tuesday, May 19, the actress, 24, reveals the advice and example Thornton, 70, has shared on set — and why she believes it’s helped define the culture behind the hit drama.
“One thing that I’ve learned from Billy Bob is how authentic he is and how down to earth he is,” Chávez says. “He has really set the tone for this set to just be so welcoming and like family.”
“It makes it so fun to be on set, and I think that’s the key to longevity in this career, is to just remember where you come from, and not be a gatekeeper either,” she says.
Paulina Chávez at the 51st Annual Gracie Awards held at Beverly Wilshire on May 19, 2026
Credit: Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty
Chávez says the closeness viewers feel between the characters onscreen reflects the genuine bonds formed behind the scenes.
“Yeah, absolutely, it is,” she says of the cast feeling like a real family. “It’s a real family, we’ve become our own family.”
The actress, who was born in El Paso and raised in San Antonio, has emerged as one of the breakout stars of Landman, starring as Ariana Medina opposite Thornton and Demi Moore in the high-stakes West Texas oil drama.
Season 2 delivered one of the series’ most harrowing storylines when Ariana was brutally attacked by Johnny (Mike Harkins), a patron at The Patch, where she works as a bartender. The assault sequence, which aired in episode 9, showed Ariana fighting back after Johnny pinned her to the ground before Cooper (Jacob Lofland) intervened.
Previously speaking to PEOPLE about filming the sequence, Chávez admitted, “I bawled my eyes out. It was just a woman’s worst nightmare.”
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“The very first shirt rip was the most terrifying thing ever,” she also recalled at the time. “Even though it’s fake, your body doesn’t know the difference between reality and fantasy. It was so scary.”
Chávez credited the production team and intimacy coordinator Mam Smith for helping create a safe environment during filming, while series creator Taylor Sheridan emphasized that Ariana’s resilience remained central to the storyline. “The whole purpose of [the scene] is to show that Ariana is strong and she is a fighter,” Chávez previously said.
Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy and Chavez as Ariana in 'Landman'
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
As fans eagerly await more episodes, Chávez admits she’s still largely in the dark about what comes next.
“I am just in the dark, as everybody else,” she says with a laugh. “I think Billy Bob said it in our last little interview group session that we had. It was just like, 'you’re going to see a lot of the first season, and a lot of the second season, and the third season.'”
The actress was honored at the Gracie Awards alongside a room full of women she deeply admires, where she took home the award for Actress in a Breakthrough Role.
“I love women, and to be among so many women that I look up to and admire,” Chávez says, “I don’t believe it.”
Before landing her role on Landman, Chávez began performing in community theater at just 7 years old and went on to make history as the first Latina lead in a multi-camera Netflix comedy with The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia. She has also appeared in Fate: The Winx Saga and Disney+’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip alongside Eva Longoria and Cheech Marin.
Landman is now streaming on Paramount+.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
