Billy Bob Thornton says Robert Redford’s life-changing career advice led to Hollywood success
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Billy Bob Thornton shared how existence-altering advice from Robert Redford paved the system for his success in Hollywood.
The 69-365 days-susceptible actor, who’s starring in the recent Taylor Sheridan-directed drama sequence “Landman,” had a little role in Redford’s hit 1993 movie “Impolite Proposal,” which also starred Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson.
Valid thru an interview with Fox Files Digital, Thornton recalled an on-plot conversation that he had with Redford when he learned himself at a crossroads in the early years of his career.
“Redford became as soon as very merely to me, and I handiest had a number of scenes in that movie, but I became as soon as there for six weeks as a result of it took a really very prolonged time to get this thing shot,” Thornton remembered with fun.
Billy Bob Thornton shared the existence-altering advice that he got from Robert Redford. (Getty)
“That is when Demi and I first met every other,” he continued. “And [Redford] brought me, I mediate — I will’t be aware — it became as soon as admire a Newsweek or Time journal, one amongst those. And there became as soon as an article in there a number of movie I would co-written with Tom Epperson and costarred in called ‘One Counterfeit Switch.’ And this became as soon as a shapely evaluate of ‘One Counterfeit Switch.’’
BILLY BOB THORNTON SAYS THERE IS A ‘PREJUDICE’ AGAINST THE SOUTH’ IN HOLLYWOOD
“He acknowledged, ‘Gaze, delight in you considered this?’ I acknowledged, ‘No. He acknowledged, ’Learn that.’ And I sat there subsequent to him, and he acknowledged, ‘Care for doing that.’ He acknowledged, ‘They will attain at you with provides now.’ And he acknowledged, ‘Invent no longer dart off and play a superhero or something and fabricate cash.’
“Correct away he acknowledged, ‘Stick on this world of self sustaining movie for a while, fabricate a establish for yourself in that, after which you’ll be succesful of transition into bigger stuff later.’ Nonetheless he acknowledged, ‘Here’s where it’s doubtless you’ll maybe well tranquil be in the beginning as a result of it’s doubtless you’ll maybe well exit and perform one stinker, a substantial match movie and likewise you are carried out,'” Thornton recalled.
“So that’s what he told me. And he became as soon as apt.”
Thornton seemed alongside Redford and Demi Moore in “Impolite Proposal.” (Paramount Pictures/Getty Pictures)
The “Armageddon” star beforehand printed that he got identical advice from one other Hollywood icon when he became as soon as struggling as a young actor. Valid thru a 1997 appearance on “Charlie Rose,” Thorton recalled working a side gig as a waiter at a Hollywood celebration where he met legendary director Billy Wilder. The two struck up a conversation throughout which Wilder guessed that Thornton desired to be an actor.
“I did no longer know waiters were actor in those days,” Thornton acknowledged. “I did no longer know that total shaggy dog epic, but I acknowledged, ‘Yeah, how produce you know?’ I believed the fellow became as soon as psychic or something. And he acknowledged, ‘Oh, you all must be actors.’ He acknowledged, ‘Neatly, let me repeat you something. You may maybe well be never going to manufacture it as an actor.'”
“He acknowledged, ‘Here’s where it’s doubtless you’ll maybe well tranquil be in the beginning as a result of it’s doubtless you’ll maybe well exit and perform one stinker, a substantial match movie and likewise you are carried out.'”
— Billy Bob Thornton
Thornton continued, “And I became as soon as all huge, thanks quite a bit.’ And he acknowledged, ‘You may maybe well be too damned gruesome to be a celebrity, and likewise you produce no longer explore similar to you’ve got been hit in the face with a frying pan so that it’s doubtless you’ll maybe well no longer be a primarily huge persona man.'”
Thornton acknowledged that the “Some Adore It Scorching” director then instructed him to change into a screenwriter.
“‘That is your impress,'” Thornton recalled Wilder telling him. “‘That is the handiest system to manufacture it. So write your bear stuff, play your bear issues, fabricate your bear system. You know, no one’s going to look ahead to you.'”
Thornton obtained the Oscar for simplest screenwriter for “Sling Blade” and got a nomination for simplest actor. (Deanne Fitzmaurice/San Francisco Legend by capability of Getty Pictures)
Thornton went on to co-write “One Counterfeit Switch” alongside with his frequent collaborator Tom Epperson and likewise starred in the movie as the murderous thug Ray Malcolm. The low-budget crime thriller became as soon as met with serious acclaim and jumpstarted Thornton’s career in the entertainment alternate.
Three years after working with Redford, Thornton directed, wrote and starred in the 1996 self sustaining movie “Sling Blade.” The crime thriller followed Karl Childers (Thornton), a mentally disabled man who’s launched from the psychiatric hospital where he spent most of his existence after murdering his mom and her lover. Childers units out to originate a recent existence in a little city and befriends a young boy and his mom.
WATCH: BILLY BOB THORNTON SAYS ROBERT REDFORD’S LIFE-CHANGING CAREER ADVICE LED TO HOLLYWOOD SUCCESS
Thornton skyrocketed to repute after “Sling Blade” modified into a surprise hit at the sector location of job and got rave opinions from critics. The Arkansas native obtained the Academy Award for simplest screenplay and earned an Oscar nomination for his efficiency. He went on to compose a simplest supporting actor Academy Award nomination for his efficiency in the 1998 neo-noir crime thriller “A Straightforward Draw.”
The actor has also earned quite a range of accolades for his work in tv. He obtained a Golden Globe Award for his starring role in the first season of the FX anthology sequence “Fargo” and became as soon as also nominated for an Emmy Award for excellent lead actor in a miniseries or movie. Thornton obtained his 2nd Golden Globe for his efficiency in the Amazon merely drama sequence “Goliath,” wherein he starred for four seasons from 2016 to 2021.
Thornton obtained a Golden Globe for his efficiency in “Goliath.” (Kevin Iciness/Getty Pictures)
Thornton is now returning to the little display conceal conceal with Sheridan’s recent show “Landman.” The show marks the on-display conceal conceal reunion of Thornton and Moore and likewise stars Ali Larter and Jon Hamm with customer appearances from Michael Pena and Andy Garcia.
A field synopsis be taught, “Location in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, ‘Landman’ is a most modern-day yarn of fortune in search of in the sector of oil rigs.”
WATCH: BILLY BOB THORNTON SHARES HOW HE CAME TO STAR IN TAYLOR SHERIDAN’S NEW SHOW ‘LANDMAN’
In line with the well-known 11-share podcast “Boomtown,” the sequence is an upstairs/downstairs epic of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a instruct so substantial, it’s reshaping our climate, our financial system and our geopolitics.”
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“Boomtown” host Christian Wallace teamed up with Sheridan to construct the 10-episode Paramount+ show, which is in a plot to premiere its first season on Nov. 17.
Thornton is now starring as Tommy Norris in Taylor Sheridan’s recent show “Landman.” (Paramount+)
Thornton, who leads the solid of “Landman,” plays Tommy Norris, a disaster executive at an oil company. Valid thru his interview with Fox Files Digital, Thornton recalled that Sheridan approached him about the show after the actor made an appearance in the “Yellowstone” prequel sequence “1883.”
“I did a cameo in ‘1883’ for Taylor and at the after-gathering for that, I sat subsequent to him, and he acknowledged, ‘Listen, I’m totally chuffed I got to be around you and stuff as a result of I if truth be told delight in this mission and I desired to preserve up out this with you. He acknowledged, ‘I’m writing something for you that’s called ‘Landman.’ He told me [about] the sector that it takes location wherein I knew some about, but I believed, ‘Neatly, that’s engaging. I haven’t primarily considered anything about this as a result of the movie “Big.”
WATCH: BILLY BOB THORNTON ON WHETHER HE FEELS PRESSURE TO MAKE NEW SHOW ‘LANDMAN’ A HIT
Thornton infamous that he liked “Big,” the 1956 yarn Western drama starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Dean Martin.
“Landman” marks the on-display conceal conceal reunion of Thornton and Moore. (Paramount+)
“And I believed this would possibly well be the streaming version of ‘Big,’ handiest a lot extra unhealthy and loopy,” Thornton acknowledged. “So it became as soon as extra or less a no brainer. Plus, Taylor fundamentally acknowledged, ‘Gaze, I do know your voice. I will write this for you. He goes, ‘This share goes to be you in the occasion you were a landman.’”
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Sheridan learned colossal success with the yarn Western drama “Yellowstone” and its hit stir-offs “1883” and “1923.” He shall be the creator of the hit crime sequence “Tulsa King,” starring Sylvester Stallone and “Mayor of Kingstown,” headlined by Jeremy Renner.
While speaking with Fox Files Digital, Thornton shared his thoughts on whether he became as soon as feeling stress to manufacture “Landman” a hit after Sheridan’s outdated successes.
“Landman” premieres Nov. 17 on Paramount+. ( Emerson Miller/Paramount+)
“For obvious,” Thornton acknowledged. “Any time that anyone has had successful — for instance a director has directed 12 wide motion footage that each person loves — you produce no longer must be the fellow that bombs it,” Thornton acknowledged with fun.
He continued, “So, yeah, there would possibly be extremely a range of stress due to the the successes he’s had with the quite a variety of reveals. Nonetheless, you know, there would possibly be constantly an viewers for every extra or less thing.”
“And I do know Taylor loves this one for obvious, and we all admire it,” Thornton added. “All the other folks that participated on this admire it.”
