‘Landman’ Star Kayla Wallace Talks Crafting The Rebecca/ Tommy Dynamic With Billy Bob Thornton: “We Built That Banter Immediately”

Kayla Wallace knows that Rebecca Falcone on Taylor Sheridan’s Landman is the kind of role every actor dreams of. However, Wallace revealed that she initially auditioned for the role of teen Ainsley Norris on the Paramount+ series. “Ultimately, my journey with Taylor and the producers led me to Rebecca, for which I’m so grateful ,” said Wallace. It’s hard to imagine any other actor as the whip-smart and cunning attorney. “I was lucky enough to get time with Taylor to really map her out,” noted Wallace. “I’ve been acting for a long time, and you never get this much time with the creator of a series. It was such a gift.”

As Shepherd-Hastings’ secret weapon , Falcone, who is only four years out of law school, specializes in liability law, which is bad news for Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton). M-tex Oil faces legal action by competitor TTP and its insurance company after the devastating accident caused by a TTP oil tanker crashing into M-tex Oil’s plane. The plane, which had been stolen by a cartel, landed in the middle of a road owned by M-tex Oil. Would Falcone use Tommy as a sacrificial lamb or find a way to settle out of a court?

Luckily for Tommy, Falcone chooses the latter option, making mincemeat of a sleazy and misogynistic opposing counsel. “Sure, Rebecca is a pissed off litigator [laughs], but that’s not all she is,” explained Wallace. “She expects those sexist comments. She uses them to flip the switch on those guys in the end.” By the end of the litigation, Falcone is firmly Team Norris. “She’s intrigued by Tommy and why he does the things he does,” explained Wallace. “She’s fascinated by his whole world and [his] family.”

Wallace hopped on a Zoom with Decider to talk about Falcone’s epic speech, working with Thornton, and more.

DECIDER: Kayla, you are an absolute revelation as Rebecca. Can you talk a little about the casting process?

KAYLA WALLACE: I initially auditioned for Ainsley, Tommy’s daughter. Ultimately, my journey with Taylor and the producers led me to Rebecca, for which I’m so grateful. My character journey started in one direction and then totally shifted to a completely different role. It was fascinating to dive into the legal world. All of the women on Landman are strong, but Rebecca is also very driven. She is also very clever and quick on her feet. I had so much fun with Rebecca.

A character doesn’t start existing on page one of the pilot script. Did you discuss backstory with Taylor Sheridan?

I was lucky enough to get time with Taylor to really map her out. We talked about her childhood. We talked about why she is the way she is. We talked about why she’s such a hard worker and such a successful lawyer at her age. Our conversations were so helpful in helping me find her strength. They made me understand why Rebecca makes the decisions she does this season. I’m excited for people to see where she goes.

I love that scene where Tommy drives Rebecca out to the wind turbines and she says, “Please tell me, Mr. Oilman, how wind is bad for the environment.” Tommy’s monologue about society’s dependance on oil is harrowing. What does Rebecca take from that conversation moving forward?

She learned a lot about the magnitude of what climate change advocates are up against. She didn’t realize there is oil in her lipstick, her body lotion and so much more. I don’t think a lot of people really know that [laughs]. I mean, it was news to me. Rebecca is the kind of person that will take all the information she can get. She gains a new understanding of why people work so hard to get oil out of the ground even though we need to stop using it. There’s a learning curve there for Rebecca.

In Episode 4, we finally get to see Rebecca in action at Tommy’s deposition, and it’s a sight to behold. Do you think she really is a “pissed off litigator”? Or did she recalibrate her approach when greeted by the sexist opposing counsel?

Rebecca thinks things out so carefully. She plans for every and any situation. She’s incredibly smart and detail oriented. Sure, she’s a pissed off litigator [laughs], but that’s not all she is. She expects those sexiest comments. She uses them to flip the switch on those guys in the end. I just love that. Sure, their remarks might piss her off a little bit, but they just fuel the fire in her belly even more. It was such an awesome scene to film.

I was hooting during Rebecca’s closing speech that starts off with “Think they hired me because I’m pretty? I charge 900 dollars an hour, you asshole, and you’re real close to finding out why.” How did you prepare for that monologue? Did Taylor Sheridan share any insight with you?

We worked together beforehand, which was very unusual. I’ve been acting for a long time, and you never get this much time with the creator of a series. It was such a gift. That speech was very important to Rebecca’s arc for the whole season. At the end of the scene, she shows her worth and her strength. She’s there to get the job done, and that’s why she got hired.

It’s such a powerful scene to tackle as an actor. When I first read my sides, I just saw a bunch of mysterious words. I’m not a lawyer [laughs]! The speech was a beast to tackle, but it ended up being one of my most fulfilling days on set.

Rebecca reveals to Tommy that she lied about her father being an army ranger. He’s really an investment banker in Chicago. Why do you think she lied about her father?

It’s not uncommon for litigators to use different tactics and tools to get the result they want. The lie is not going to hurt her in the long run. It’s strategy. She thinks so quickly on her feet. Like I said, she’s there to get the job done.

Do you think Rebecca has a romantic interest in Tommy? Because for me, it feels like she is more intrigued by him than attracted to him.

There’s definitely tension between them from episode one, right off the bat. I think she’s fascinated by this whole world and this family. They operate in unfamiliar ways. She’s intrigued by Tommy and why he does the things he does. He’s unfiltered, and in contrast she is very strategic in what she says and the choices she makes.

What was it like crafting that dynamic with Billy Bob?

It was so much fun. Billy Bob is such an awesome person to work with. He’s so grounded and so down to earth. We were able to build that banter immediately, and it only grew the more we worked together. We had a lot of fun figuring out why certain things go the way they do way with these characters. They’re such opposites that the tension was there from the start.

I am obsessed with Rebecca’s accepting Angela’s invitation to eat with the family. What is Rebecca’s take on Angela? Why is she so interested in her?

They say opposites attract for a reason. Rebecca and Angela couldn’t be more different, from their clothes to the way they talk. They are both incredibly powerful women, but in completely different ways. However, they have more in common than they think. It was so much fun working with Ali [Larter].

I loved the scene in which Rebecca drives Angela and Ainsley home.

It’s a much more intimate setting than these two characters expected. They go from this noisy bar into this quiet car. You see shades of this friend-to-friend dynamic, but Rebecca is still treading with some caution, too. She doesn’t know these people, and she is gathering information and storing it in her back pocket.

What can you tease, if anything, about the rest of Rebecca’s journey this season?

We’ll get to see some sides of Rebecca that we haven’t seen yet. There are twists and turns with every character, but Rebecca’s journey might be a little more unexpected than others.

New episodes of Landman drop Sundays on Paramount+

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