[This story contains spoilers from the penultimate episode of Landman season two, “Plans, Tears and Sirens.”]
Landman star Paulina Chávez has been acting for so long that she knew she would carry some of the pain of Ariana’s attack when she filmed the sexual assault scene that concluded the penultimate episode of season two.
The actress plays the recent widow and new fiancée to Cooper Norris — the son of Billy Bob Thornton‘s starring oil fixer Tommy Norris, who is played by Jacob Lofland — who had rebuffed the advances of an unruly bar patron where she works, The Patch Cafe, earlier in the season. In Sunday’s episode, “Plans, Tears and Sirens,” that man returned to seek vengeance on the bartender who rejected him.
By the time Cooper found Ariana in the back alley of The Patch Cafe, her attacker (played by Mike Harkins), had beaten Ariana and was on top of her, ripping off her shirt and about to take down her pants. Cooper then flung himself onto the man and severely beat him, until the bar owner found them and called for help.
“I let myself be in the moment, and allowed myself to be terrified. I needed a minute after that first take of my shirt being ripped and my pants being pulled down,” Chávez tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Your body doesn’t differentiate between what’s real and what’s fake. Not a lot of people realize that’s the hardest part of acting — having to tell your body, ‘Hey, you’re fine.’ Your body carries a lot of trauma.”
Below, Chávez dives into the harrowing episode, discussing how she cried when she first read the script, how Lofland, her scene partner and writer/co-creator Taylor Sheridan supported her through the scene, and why Ariana and Cooper will make it through no matter what consequences await in next week’s season two finale.
***
From what I understand in speaking with your co-stars, you got the scripts episode by episode. So did you find out about this attack as you were paging through, or did you get a heads up?
I did not get a heads up. As soon as I get the email of the episode, I immediately open it and start reading. When I got to the end of the script, I called Jacob [Lofland, who plays Cooper] immediately. I was like, “Oh my god, that’s happening.” We were freaking out a little and then we were like, “Okay, okay, We’re gonna do it and it’s gonna be great. I don’t know how, but we’re gonna figure it out.” We have an amazing team of cast and the crew and our stunt department and we were very much in good hands.
Did you have an emotional response when you first read the scene?
Absolutely. I cried. It’s a woman’s worst nightmare for that to happen — in any way shape or form. It’s something I always grew up with [hearing about]. My mom told me to always check your surroundings, lock the doors every time I get into the car and if somebody is following you or making weird faces at you, look back at them and basically scare them away. It was very scary [reading the scene]. It’s very easy for me to put myself in those situations.
I’ve been acting for so long; since I was 7 in training. I feel like empathy is my superpower to be able to jump into a situation. But I’m a very sensitive soul, and now I can’t really watch heavy stuff because it’ll put me in a very terrible place. That’s why that was the reaction I had, so I took my reaction and I kept it in my pocket for when I had to do it on the day.
Did you get a chance to sit down with co-creators Taylor Sheridan or Christian Wallace and talk it through once you read it?
I did talk with Taylor, and he was like, “We’re not going to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” and he also said we’re going to shoot in sections and that I’d be working with the stunt department. He said, “We’re going to choreograph it and make sure that you feel safe and comfortable with all of the movement.”
His note for me for that scene was, “No matter what, you continue fighting.” I think that’s something every parent has always said to their child: “No matter what you continue fighting.”
My biggest question for Taylor for that episode was, “Why do I keep calling him a stray dog? Like, can we chill on that? But I don’t even remember. Maybe I blocked it out. I don’t remember being scared about the scene. I was scared about if I was going to be able to portray it to the best of my ability, and the scariest part for that scene was when we cut to the tackle and we did the shirt rip [of Ariana’s shirt]. That was the scariest part.
Are you the type of actor who started getting into Ariana’s headspace the second you received the script, or did you try to compartmentalize until before filming?
I did not allow myself to get into that headspace until an hour before when we were setting up the shots. Mainly because it’s such a heavy scene. I don’t want to be carrying that with me for a long period of time. It’s such a fucking heavy scene that both Jacob and I wanted to make sure we kept it lighthearted, but of course be respectful of how we were going to get into character right before we shot.
We both showed up — as well as his stand-in [actor], who’s a dear friend of mine — in our Buc-ee’s onesie. Buc-ee’s is a very famous, cool gas station in Texas. It’s like an amusement park; it’s always packed. So we showed up in our onesies to keep it lighthearted, and I knew we had each other’s backs throughout the whole process. We also had our beautiful intimacy coordinator, Mam Smith, who was there to support us in any way we needed. But I just let myself be in the moment, and allowed myself to be terrified.
You said you shot this in sections. Was it all done in one day?
Yes. We started the shoot from [Ariana’s] phone call [in the alley], and then we stopped right before the tackle. We let our stunt doubles do the tackle — because they did the tackle on concrete and they were not going to allow us to do that. Then we cut, and then we were on the floor, and then we did the rest and cut before Jacob comes in. And then we did the rest. So it was in three sections, but it was all on the same night. We did the first part a good amount of times until it was like, perfect. We got our shots and then we moved on to when I was on the floor.
Was there any point where you needed to take a minute during filming?
I needed a minute after that first take of my shirt being ripped and my pants being pulled down. Your body doesn’t differentiate between what’s real and what’s fake. And not a lot of people realize that’s the hardest part of acting — having to tell your body, “Hey, you’re fine.” Your body carries a lot of trauma.
That first take was the scariest thing ever. It felt so real, even though it wasn’t. It felt very real and I needed a good amount of time to prepare for the next take. After that first take, it was a little bit easier for me to be able to differentiate what’s real, what’s fake. But that first take really stuck with me.
What were some of the ways that your scene partner, Mike Harkins, who played your attacker, supported you as you were filming?
He’s such a sweet guy in real life, and we did stunt rehearsals for three days before shooting so we were able to get very comfortable with each other. Every time we would start the scene, he was like, “I’m so sorry for what I’m about to do and what I’m about to say.” It was always a check in, like, “Are you okay? Was that okay?” Everybody was very, very respectful. And with Jacob, I mean, after two seasons under our belt, we have become really great friends, so he was very much a great support that day.
In addition to the physical attack, Ariana does also get horrific words flung at her. Are you able to compartmentalize that when acting, or did hearing those racial slurs hit home for you?
As me, Paulina, I feel like people are so mean and so I try to take what people tell me with a grain of salt. That it’s just a reflection of them and their character. So I let it roll off my back. But I thought about my ancestors and what they had to deal with, and the discrimination they faced to be in that country and fight for a place there to give me the life that I have now. I let that upset me a lot. Today it’s very much relevant and it’s becoming even more relevant, so I let myself be angry and I definitely let my anger out in those fake punches that I threw.
Taylor [Sheridan] has a beautiful way of writing things that are relevant without touching too much into it, but in a way that leaves a person thinking. I think that’s the most important thing about art. That it’s there to entertain, but also to give perspective.
The entire incident was captured on a security camera — the attack and then Cooper throwing him off of you and beating him — so we know the consequences will play out in the finale next week. Can Ariana and Cooper make it through this?
Absolutely. I think they are two people that, no matter what life throws at them, they are going to stick together no matter what. And I think it makes them stronger for it, and individually, so much stronger. I don’t think this is something that’s going to defeat Ariana in any way. I think it proves to herself and to the audience that she is a very strong person who is a fighter.
I spoke with Jacob Lofland and he said the ending of season two sets up a very exciting third season. How does the finale excite you to go back to work on the already renewed season three?
I just love the cast and crew so much that I want to work with them for the rest of my life. So, oh, my goodness. There’s something so powerful about human connection and family. This show sheds a light on how beautiful it is and we’re stronger for it — whether it is your biological or chosen family, I think it’s so beautiful, and I’m so excited to see what happens next season and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.
This season, similar to last season, takes place across 10 to 15 days as far as I understand.
Yes, a very short amount of time.
So what are some big looming questions you have about Ariana that you can’t wait to explore in future seasons?
So much. I want to see more with her and her own family, and Isabel (Rosemary Dominguez], and their dynamic. It was such a beautiful scene they had when they were talking about Cooper with her telling Isabel that she asked him, basically, to propose. I would love to see more of their dynamic. I would love to see how she interacts with Cooper’s family more.
***
Landman season two is streaming nine episodes on Paramount+, with the finale releasing next weekend.
Read the full article here
