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NEED TO KNOW
Sam Elliott joined the cast of Landman season 2 as the grieving father of Billy Bob Thornton
Ali Larter tells PEOPLE that Elliott, 81, is "a real kind of sweetheart on the inside" as she raves about having him on set
"He is such an incredible man, father, husband," she says
There are simply no downsides to havingSam Elliottaround on theLandmanset, according toAli Larter.
The actor, 81,joined season 2of the hitTaylor Sheridanseries asBilly Bob Thornton's father, and, as Larter puts it, is "just a legend."
"He is such an incredible man, father, husband," Larter, 49, tells PEOPLE. She plays Angela, the reconciled ex-wife of Tommy (Thornton), and mom to their two kids, Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph).
Angela is also the person who's responsible for T.L. (Elliott) leaving the retirement home he was living in to move in with their family — an idea that Tommy wasn't exactly keen on initially.
"He comes on set, he still has just every bit of that growl in his voice, and he's this masculine cowboy who's just a real sweetheart on the inside."
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
The arrival of T.L. also brings a new appreciation from Tommy of his wife and his daughter, despite all their chaos.
"I love the scene in episode 5 where you see him in the house, and he doesn't know what these girls are up to," Larter says. "When Angela and Ainsley come home, he's just sitting at the counter, he's just there and he watches them — it's like Taylor's showing the audience how to think about Angela and Ainsley through T.L.'s eyes."
"The way that [T.L.] sees us is so amazing because a lot of times, people even within the show are coming after her, commenting about me, or whatever," Larter says of thecontroversial reactionsher and Randolph's characters have elicited. "It's just always interesting when another character in the show sees us in a different way."
"I love that TL loves us instead of [how] Tommy is always provoking her and getting frustrated with her," she adds.
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Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Larter is not the firstLandmanstar to rave about having Elliott join the cast.Kayla Wallace, who plays hotshot attorney Rebecca Falcone, told PEOPLE ahead of the season 2 premierethat Elliott "never leaves" the setand is "just happy to sit there and be a part of it and watch all of us perform."
"Even if he's not in a scene, he shows up early to set," Wallace, 32, said. "He'll find a place to sit — a bench, an apple box, whatever. He's not fussy. It's really cool."
Landmanseason 2 is now streaming on Paramount+
Read the original article onPeople