Landman Shock Twist! Co-Creator Teases ‘Real Trouble’ for Cooper After Partnering With Gallino
Actor Jacob Lofland says his character Cooper “has no idea” what he’s signed up for by joining forces with the cartel boss. Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland) has landed himself in some serious hot water by unknowingly teaming up with cartel boss Gallino (Andy Garcia) on his new oil venture.
“It’s going to make some real interesting trouble for him,” Landman co-creator Christian Wallace tells Entertainment Weekly. “But just the fact that we get to see more of Andy in this season and what he brings to the show is so fun and great.”
He continues, “It sucks for Cooper in certain ways, but it’s great for us as the audience to see how their entanglement is going to play out as the season rolls along.”
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In the second episode, Cooper explains to dad Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) that he’s teamed up with a company out of Odessa called Sonrisa that’s helping to finance his oil wells. The deal rings serious alarm bells for Tommy and, after some digging, he discovers that Cooper has unknowingly partnered with Gallino.
It’s a stunning development for Tommy. “It doesn’t really tickle you to death when you learn your son’s gonna work for a cartel guy,” Thornton says. “It’s pretty, pretty crazy. I mean, Tommy has a whole lot of ‘you got to be kidding me moments’ and that’ll definitely be one of them.”
On his end, Lofland notes that Cooper “has no idea” what he’s signed up for by joining forces with Gallino.
“He was looking for any way he could to make this work and that’s what he did,” he says. “And I think now he goes back and has to figure out you can’t always rush into things. You really have to do your research and know what you’re talking about — which is what Tommy’s been telling him through all out of the first season — and you really have to have your understanding of things before you jump off.”
Now, he says Cooper is in a state of “free falling right now — and hoping that the net’s somewhere close.” He adds, “It’s definitely been a fun season and a lot of learning, personally and character-wise.”
As for why Gallino is suddenly getting into the oil business? Garcia has a few ideas. “The character exists in the Fort Worth area, and he’s very familiar what’s going on in the Permian Basin in the state of Texas,” he says. “He’s a businessman in that state, and so he’s very aware of the potential for the financial potential of being in the oil business.”
And, if Cooper’s wells are any sign, then business certainly is booming. Landman is available to stream now on Paramount+.
