Billy Bob Thornton shared how life-changing recommendation from Robert Redford paved the way in which for his success in Hollywood.
The 69-year-old actor, who’s starring within the new Taylor Sheridan-directed drama sequence “Landman,” had a small function in Redford’s hit 1993 film “Indecent Proposal,” which additionally starred Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson.
Throughout an interview with Fox Information Digital, Thornton recalled an on-set dialog that he had with Redford when he discovered himself at a crossroads within the early years of his profession.
“Redford was superb to me, and I solely had a few scenes in that film, however I used to be there for six weeks as a result of it took a very long time to get this factor shot,” Thornton remembered with fun.
“That’s when Demi and I first met one another,” he continued. “And [Redford] introduced me, I feel — I can’t keep in mind — it was like a Newsweek or Time journal, a kind of. And there was an article in there a few film I’d co-written with Tom Epperson and costarred in known as ‘One False Transfer.’ And this was a glowing assessment of ‘One False Transfer.’’
“He stated, ‘Look, have you ever seen this?’ I stated, ‘No. He stated, ’Learn that.’ And I sat there subsequent to him, and he stated, ‘Hold doing that.’ He stated, ‘They’re going to return at you with gives now.’ And he stated, ‘Don’t go off and play a superhero or one thing and earn cash.’
“Immediately he stated, ‘Stick on this world of impartial movie for some time, make a reputation for your self in that, after which you’ll transition into larger stuff later.’ However he stated, ‘That is the place it’s good to be to start with since you might exit and do one stinker, an enormous occasion film and also you’re completed,’” Thornton recalled.
“In order that’s what he informed me. And he was proper.”
The “Armageddon” star beforehand revealed that he acquired comparable recommendation from one other Hollywood icon when he was struggling as a younger actor. Throughout a 1997 look on “Charlie Rose,” Thorton recalled working a facet gig as a waiter at a Hollywood occasion the place he met legendary director Billy Wilder. The 2 struck up a dialog throughout which Wilder guessed that Thornton wished to be an actor.
“I didn’t know waiters have been actor in these days,” Thornton stated. “I didn’t know that entire joke, however I stated, ‘Yeah, how do you know?’ I believed the man was psychic or one thing. And he stated, ‘Oh, you all need to be actors.’ He stated, ‘Properly, let me inform you one thing. You’re by no means going to make it as an actor.’”
Thornton continued, “And I used to be all nice, thanks quite a bit.’ And he stated, ‘You’re too damned ugly to be a film star, and also you don’t appear like you’ve been hit within the face with a frying pan so you possibly can’t be a extremely nice character man.’”
Thornton stated that the “Some Like It Scorching” director then suggested him to grow to be a screenwriter.
“‘That’s your ticket,’” Thornton recalled Wilder telling him. “‘That’s the one approach to make it. So write your personal stuff, play your personal issues, make your personal means. You understand, no person’s going to attend for you.’”
Thornton went on to co-write “One False Transfer” along with his frequent collaborator Tom Epperson and in addition starred within the film because the murderous thug Ray Malcolm. The low-budget crime thriller was met with important acclaim and jumpstarted Thornton’s profession within the leisure trade.
Three years after working with Redford, Thornton directed, wrote and starred within the 1996 impartial film “Sling Blade.”
The crime thriller adopted Karl Childers (Thornton), a mentally disabled man who’s launched from the psychiatric hospital the place he spent most of his life after murdering his mom and her lover.
Childers units out to start out a brand new life in a small city and befriends a younger boy and his mom.
Thornton skyrocketed to fame after “Sling Blade” turned a shock hit on the field workplace and acquired rave opinions from critics.
The Arkansas native gained the Academy Award for finest screenplay and earned an Oscar nomination for his efficiency.
He went on to earn a finest supporting actor Academy Award nomination for his efficiency within the 1998 neo-noir crime thriller “A Easy Plan.”
The actor has additionally earned quite a few accolades for his work in tv.
He gained a Golden Globe Award for his starring function within the first season of the FX anthology sequence “Fargo” and was additionally nominated for an Emmy Award for excellent lead actor in a miniseries or film.
Thornton gained his second Golden Globe for his efficiency within the Amazon authorized drama sequence “Goliath,” during which he starred for 4 seasons from 2016 to 2021.
Thornton is now returning to the small display screen with Sheridan’s new present “Landman.” The present marks the on-screen reunion of Thornton and Moore and in addition stars Ali Larter and Jon Hamm with visitor appearances from Michael Pena and Andy Garcia.
A plot synopsis learn, “Set within the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, ‘Landman’ is a modern-day story of fortune searching for on the planet of oil rigs.”
Primarily based on the notable 11-part podcast “Boomtown,” the sequence is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a growth so massive, it’s reshaping our local weather, our financial system and our geopolitics.”
“Boomtown” host Christian Wallace teamed up with Sheridan to create the 10-episode Paramount+ present, which can premiere its first season on Nov. 17.
Thornton, who leads the forged of “Landman,” performs Tommy Norris, a disaster govt at an oil firm. Throughout his interview with Fox Information Digital, Thornton recalled that Sheridan approached him in regards to the present after the actor made an look within the “Yellowstone” prequel sequence “1883.”
“I did a cameo in ‘1883’ for Taylor and on the after-gathering for that, I sat subsequent to him, and he stated, ‘Hear, I’m glad I bought to be round you and stuff as a result of I’ve this challenge and I wished to do that with you. He stated, ‘I’m writing one thing for you that’s known as ‘Landman.’ He informed me [about] the world that it takes place during which I knew some about, however I believed, ‘Properly, that’s attention-grabbing. I haven’t actually seen something about this for the reason that film “Large.”
Thornton famous that he liked “Large,” the 1956 epic Western drama starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Dean Martin.
“And I believed this might be the streaming model of ‘Large,’ solely much more harmful and loopy,” Thornton stated. “So it was type of a no brainer. Plus, Taylor principally stated, ‘Look, I do know your voice. I’m going to put in writing this for you. He goes, ‘This half goes to be you in the event you have been a landman.’”
Sheridan discovered huge success with the epic Western drama “Yellowstone” and its hit spin-offs “1883” and “1923.” He’s additionally the creator of the hit crime sequence “Tulsa King,” starring Sylvester Stallone and “Mayor of Kingstown,” headlined by Jeremy Renner.
Whereas talking with Fox Information Digital, Thornton shared his ideas on whether or not he was feeling stress to make “Landman” successful after Sheridan’s earlier successes.
“For positive,” Thornton stated. “Any time that somebody has had a hit — let’s say a director has directed 12 large motion pictures that everyone loves — you don’t need to be the man that bombs it,” Thornton stated with fun.
He continued, “So, yeah, there’s loads of stress due to the successes he’s had with the opposite reveals. However, , there’s all the time an viewers for each type of factor.”
“And I do know Taylor loves this one for positive, and all of us find it irresistible,” Thornton added. “All of the individuals who participated on this find it irresistible.”