'Landman' star Michelle Randolph opens up about typecasting concerns after playing Ainsley Norris

One of the highlights of the beloved TV series Landman (on Paramount+) is exploring the dynamics of the Norris family. Billy Bob Thornton's character, Tommy, is often cynical and sarcastic, a father who has rekindled his relationship with his ex-wife, Angela (Ali Larter), an opinionated woman with a vivacious personality. And Tommy and Angela have two kids: the more subdued Cooper (Jacob Lofland), who we see make questionable business decisions in Season 2, and Ainsley, played by Michelle Randolph, their bubbly and optimistic daughter, who's about to become a college cheerleader.

But Ainsley certainly started off the show's second season with one of the most memorable moments, her college admissions interview. In the interview, she explains her stance on why there shouldn't be a policy prohibiting cheerleaders from dating football players. The interview ends with Ainsley being told that, while she meets the requirements for admission, the admissions officer would have enthusiastically denied her admission to Texas Christian University if she could.

"When I first got the scene, I just was like, 'What is [she saying?'] Because ... it's hysterical, but I think at first I was just like, geez, this is a monster, and how do I fit that into an hour-long drama without seeming like I'm in a different show?" Randolph recalled to Yahoo Canada in an interview in Toronto. "But I think that's why people love our show, it's because there are so many different tones in it, and that duality exists in life."

"To really just lean into the comedy was fun. I had a blast filming that. And Miriam Silverman, who plays Greta, is such an incredible actress, and playing opposite her, and her facial expressions while filming, it was so good."

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While Ainsley can, and has been by many, characterized as a ditzy girl who seemingly gets everything she wants, Randolph has worked to ensure her character has more to offer. And falling into the trap of having a narrow view of the character certainly doesn't reflect what we could see from Ainsley.

"I didn't want Ainsley to be one-dimensional, that was something I was fearful of because I think sometimes it's easy as the young character," Randolph said. "I've worked a lot at making her likable. ... She's so sincere, and she's so genuine in what she says, and she loves her family, and so there's so much more to her, and so much more heart to her, even if she's had this very limited life experience."

"And I think that gives her a lot of room to grow as well, because it's like, OK what happens when you broaden your horizons? What happens when you go off to college, and you interact with people who grew up in a very different way than you? Because so far, we've only seen her in her comfort zone. And so I think I'm glad that there are layers to her, ... but I think that hopefully there will be even more."

'It just brings a groundedness to Ainsley that is needed'

In terms of growing and expanding Ainsley's storyline, we see some of that evolution when she talks to her father, Tommy, about what she learned about his troubled childhood, particularly his relationship with his late mother, after her funeral.

"It shows her heart, those moments. They are few and far between, but those are some of my favourite ones, because I think it just brings a groundedness to Ainsley that is needed," Randolph said. "Because we often see her ... running around with her mom, and she's having fun, and she's not thinking, and she says what's on her mind. And it's like, you know, it's really human for her to care what happened to her dad. I hope that I get more of those kinds of scenes."

And that continues in this week's episode of Landman, where we see Tommy's father, TL, played by Sam Elliott, move in with the family. And TL has a joyous expression as he watches Ainsley and Angela's vibrant yet chaotic energy together at the house.

"That storyline is really beautiful to me. ... It shows the history of Tommy and who he is. And I think that's important for the show," Randolph said. "[It's] something everyone can relate to. ... You don't always get along with your family, but there's love there. And even if Tommy doesn't want TL to live with them, you have to, who else is going to take care of them?"

But there's also no denying the power of Randolph's scenes with Ali Larter, the mother-daughter duo who frequent a local retirement home, and end up being the core of a lot of the comedy and heart of the show.

"Ali, she's the best, and we have so much fun together off-set, and I think that energy really shows on the screen," Randolph said. "I've learned a lot from Ali because she is really bold in the choices that she makes as an actress, and she's not afraid to try things and throw things out. ... Sometimes you do have to take the scene to 100 before you find the middle. We have some wild things that we're doing."

'I feel like it would be a lot easier for me to get typecast'

With Randolph inhabiting the Landman and 1923 worlds, both created by Taylor Sheridan, it also showcases her versatility as an actor. Randolph is able to portray two characters with completely different lived experiences at different points in history, with great success.

"I'm so lucky because ... I feel like it would be a lot easier for me to get typecast. That happens. And playing someone like Ainsley sometimes [that is the fear]. Like, do people think that this is who I am?" Randolph shared.

"But I got to film 1923 Season 1, then Landman, then 1923 Season 2, then Landman Season 2, and so I got to kind of bounce between the worlds. I'm incredibly grateful that Taylor trusted me with both those characters."