Ainsley’s now-infamous college admissions interview early in the season immediately set the tone. Her unapologetic argument against banning cheerleaders from dating football players was hilarious, uncomfortable, and instantly viral among fans. But Randolph admits that when she first read the scene, she had questions of her own.
“When I first got the scene, I just was like, ‘What is she saying?’ Because… it’s hysterical, but at first I was 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?”
For Randolph, the answer was embracing the show’s tonal duality rather than fighting it. “That’s why people love our show,” she explained. “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.”
Michelle Randolph Says Taylor Sheridan Giving Her Such Different Roles In ‘Landman’ & ‘1923’ Has Helped Her Avoid Typecasting
Randolph shared that showing her depth as an actress between the two roles has helped her avoid typecasting, keeping her momentum going as she becomes the next “it” actress.
“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? 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.”
So far, Michelle Randolph has done a great job with Ainsley Norris, and although her character plotting might not be as entertaining as Tommy’s, we are starting to see a different side of the “ditzy” high schooler. In fact, Randolph shared that she’s worked hard to add depth to her character.
“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.”
In the episode highlighting the death of Tommy’s mother, we see a side of Ainsley that highlights how much family means to her. When learning about her father’s troubled childhood, we see compassion that we have yet to see from her character, and the hurt that her father had to endure all those hardships growing up.
“It shows her heart, those moments. They are few and far between, but those are some of my favorite ones, because I think it just brings a groundedness to Ainsley that is needed. 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.”
I hope we see more of this side of Randolph’s character as the season progresses. I really enjoy Ainsley’s character as she and Angela provide some comedic relief to the show, but it’s clear that there is a vision for how Ainsley will grow, and I’m excited to see that unfold.
