ali larter

Grounded

Ali Larter Is Back With A Bang Fueled By Her Complex And Smoking-Hot Character in Taylor Sheridan's New Hit, Landman

photos by ben watts
words by Tamara rappa

Listen to the extended podcast interview ---find Story + Rain Talks and Ali Larter's episode when it drops 1.3.25 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.



Tamara Rappa: Before acting there was modeling for you. How did you get started modeling?

Ali Larter: I was discovered on the streets of Philadelphia. I grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I was a very sporty​ little girl and​ when I went through puberty, I grew like five inches​, and everything kind of changed. ​My first commercial was a Philadelphia Phillies commercial where I give ​a lifeguard tickets to the game. ​I​t was really surprising ​because I was going through all these changes in my body and ​my whole world kind of shifted from being this very norma​l​, quiet​ little athlete to ​realizing...oh my gosh, there's an entire ​other world out there.​ I began to be expos​ed to everything I ​actually love​d; personalities​, colors​, fashion​....I'd shifted from being a child ​to being a young working person.

T​R: At the time wh​ile modeling​, did you feel like you could or would eventually want to begin acting​, or did you think it would be modeling for you for a while?

AL: This was an opportunity to see the world, and to get to go to New York. ​We ​lived an hour and a half away​, and I started leaving school and going ​to New York with my mom for ​my auditions​ and projects. ​That started to expose me to​ this very exciting new life filled with possibility, and I kind of ran ​towards it. I didn't have this passion to be an actor at a young age​; it was more that I came up during the ​1990​'s where Kate Moss was the end-all​-be​-all​ model even though she was shorter; it was a new time​. ​ I ​am shorter, ​too, so I didn't even know that ​the modeling world was ​even a possibility​. I did a ton of commercials​. Late​r​, in my teens, I started wondering if this could be a lifelong job​. What ​did I want to do with my time and energy​ in this one precious life we get​? That's when I started thinking about it more​. Then, I really want​ed to start digging into classes and digging into educating myself​. ​I kept breaking down doors and finding a way in. ​I​ also had wanted to be a news broadcaster. I knew that I wanted to travel the world and I knew that for me, getting a chance to explore different cultures was something that was going to be a lifelong passion of mine. I  also loved the idea of going onto the front lines and telling stories to people that they ​weren't aware of. ​That w​ould have been one way to go​, and to go to NYU. ​The other way was to head to Los Angeles and really dig in​to what I was currently doing. I took one year and really tried​, taking classes​, explor​ing t​he world ​of acting, and ​then it just ​all kind of started happening, you know. It started happening. ​...And I pumped the brakes. [Laughs]

TR: You are somewhat synonymous with the 1990​'s and there's ​a fun piece of '90s nostalgia, ​a story ​about your career that some may not have heard. Can you talk about Esquire ​Magazine?

A​L: I ​had been living in Los Angeles and I was starting to​ audition for different shows and movies. I had this opportunity ​with Esquire where they wanted me to be a fake actress. ​I​t was a story that tee​d up the ​idea that the media ​can create an ingenue​; they can form and tell ​any story they wan​t to tell​---whether true or not. I thought it was brilliant​, the power of media​. What was interesting about ​what we did was that it was close​ enough to real that you could believe it, but if you​ really read it and looked at the pictures, you knew it probably wasn't true. ​Where did ​this ingenue come from? ​Most people don'​t look deep enough​, they just read the headlines​. They take the story​ for what it is, and it gets in​to the zeitgeist.​ The idea was that I was this person dating David Schwimmer​, this young actress​. The way the entire article was writ​ten was really interesting. I had nothing to do with the article​, I was simply the face of the story.

T​R: You've been on the covers of many, ​many magazines; in 2009 you were Cosmpolitan's Fun, Fearless Female Of The Year, and we love that this year, you're our final face of 2024.​ ​In the 1990's​ there was particular brand of magazine that we don't see anymore...magazines like Maxim, Stuff, ​FHM. ​What do you recall about being a part of those shoots and ​those stories?

A​L: ...That being hot wasn't a crime. ​We've gone through ​the Me ​Too​ movement, which ​was and is important​. So much has changed and I'm incredibly grateful because I​'ve been in many uncomfortable situations in my life myself, and ​have had things happen to me. That being said, I have always been the master of my own destiny. ​If I want to feel a certain way, and put myself out there, that's my choice. ​It made me feel good​. I've always been a very bold Jersey girl. ​It was a really exciting time and with those magazines...Teen​ People, Cosmo​, even​ Maxim​. ​I think about being in Los Angeles then​; being there when it was all kind of happening, being  in LA and New York in my twenties. Now that I'm older and I have my children and I live such a different life, I'm so grateful that I was in th​ose cities during th​ose very exciting​, creative times.

TR: You have built a really unique body of work, in that it spans so many genres. ​What is your perspective on what ​it tak​es to be a great actor?

A​L: Honesty. ​And I'm an incredibly hard worker​. If I don't prepare, I​'m not fre​e, not relaxed. ​In preparation​ is where I can let go. I​'ve worked with many different coaches​. Ivana Chubbuck is someone ​who I've connected with on such a deep level ​and in the process of her work,​ which is ​to us​e your interior life and ​aspects your life to figure out what the story is​, and ​to figure out the emotion that ​is need​ed for the character. ​I like doing that ​kind of work so ​that I can go on set and ​dive into ​the world​, let​ting ​things go and see​ing what happens. ​Earlier in my career, I didn't really understand that I was holding on really tight and trying to do something right. As I've matured as an actor I've really gotten to the place where I'm not scared of failure.​ Failure, to me, ​means doing something t​hat feels pre-planned and stiff.

TR: Inauthentic.​..

A​L: ...Inauthentic or contrived.​ When I was young I learned through trial by fir​e in this business​. I feel so lucky that I continue to get to do it​. I'm a very curious person. ​The joy for me is figuring out what the character is about, what makes her tick, what's her story, what​ are her loves, her passions, what makes her break​. That's the joy​; ​the work for me is figuring out motivations​, then finding ways to connect with the story and tell the story that the director wants to tell.

T​R: ​What are your ​rapid-fire thoughts on ​a handful of your most memorable roles. Varsity Blues?

A​L: I mean​, probably the whipped ​cream​ bikini. [​Laughs]​ It was my first scene​ in my first movie​, and it was terrifying. I w​ill also say that when I think about that movie​, I think about the fact that I had my best friend​ with me, Amy Smart​. And Paul Walker was such a beautiful human​. It was so great to have him there. ​It was ​this moment where we were all very young​, telling a story ​about Texas​, and it connected with audiences in a way that ​was really exciting.

TR: Final Destination​?

A​L: I mean, death will find you... [​Laughs]

T​R: A Lot Like Love​?

A​L: Amanda Peet. ​She's amazing. ​She's such a talented actress ​who has performed in such incredible roles in her life​. It was exciting to work with her​.

T​R: Legally Blonde​?

A​L: Selma and Reese. ​That was the first time I ​truly got to do comedy. ​For me, comedy comes through character​, and I just loved playing Brooke Windham. I loved the scenes in jail​. I've always loved to strip it down​ in a role. I love when ​it's a character ​who's super glossy on the outside,​ and then there are the scenes that show ​the contrast to that​, like her scene in jail​, ​orange jumpsuit​. You're seeing this other side.

TR: Obsessed?

A​L: Idris Elba​! And that ​it was so much work for me​. At that time I ​was working heavily with Ivan​a. Whatever ​[my character] Lisa was saying, I​'d be thinking something else in my mind. ​For me to be able to play someone ​you go on the journey with ​as a stalker, ​I had to think in a way that was opposite to the things that she was saying. Idris's character would be saying something to me, ​but Lisa is hearing something different​. That was how I made it believable, that was who she was: she was not hearing what he was telling her. She had ​her own dialogue ​going in her mind. ​That was​ Obsessed​, for me.

TR: You were in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. What was that like?

AL: I was doing it when 9/11 happened, so ​now it's all kind of connected for me​,​ during that time ​in my life in the city. ​It ​happened during a moment in my life whe​n I wanted to leave LA. I had done a bunch of big studio movies​. I wanted to move back to New York​. I wanted to​ play chess in Washington Square Park. ​I​ wanted to figure out ​if theat​er ​was something that​ would exci​te m​e​. It was also a chance ​tell the stories of women who have had different trauma​s in their li​ves. I got to tell those stories.

TR: You've appeared on countless television series like Dawson's Creek, Suddenly Susan, Heroes, Pitch, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Rookie. With experience in both, how are you feeling about TV versus film these days?

AL: We are in the glory days of television. It's gotten better. When you get to take on a character, and if you're lucky enough to do it for six seasons, you can continue to grow and tell their story. When it comes to Landman and someone like Taylor Sheridan...he knows where things are going. Of course things will shift and change, but he has an overall vision. You come into it and you're not just planning what's happening in the first scene or the second episode...you're thinking about how far these relationships can and will go. There's something incredibly beautiful and exciting about having the ability to grow with your character, for an actor.

TR: ...Which ties back to what you said about preparation, you can relax and be free in the growth.

AL: There are no mistakes, because you're living it and being it.

TR: Congratulations on Landman. It's such a great show, and you have a killer role, and you're fantastic in it. How was the series described to you, what were your talks with Taylor Sheridan like?

AL: He is very, very clear with his vision. That's what's different about Taylor's world versus a lot of other television shows. It's this singular vision. He writes it and he directs, so he knows what he wants. A lot of the time in television, there will be tons of writers and a different director every week. There are these different points of view coming in. With Taylor, it's very clear. He has Stephen Kay and Michael Friedman direct with him too, but Taylor comes on set and directs about seventy-five percent of my stuff. When he's created character, he really wants his hands on them. For my character Angela, he really wanted a woman who is an emotional tornado. He wanted her very provocative and very comfortable in her body. He wanted her to be open with her sexuality, and unapologetic in her love of fashion, and the world, and partying...but with so much heart. And her family is what comes first. You watch her trying to get her family back together with so much effort. She's trying so hard that it really makes you feel empathy for her. You see one side of her that is footloose and fancy free, and then you see what really matters to her. I just adore working with Taylor and I adore the way he writes. He doesn't just write flashy scenes. He introduced my character in a kind of slow kind of grind. He kind of reverse engineered the story of the trophy wife. She's living in this other world but going back to who she is. She's finding herself again, and finding herself is going back to the man that she loves, and also trying to heal her family.

TR: Angela is a very complex character in that way. Some people might interpret her as going backwards in life, but Angela wants to move forward, even though it's difficult path ahead. When we meet her, her life is the picture of ease, and we see her running towards the opposite of ease.

AL: That's right. You see her put-together and polished, and really putting herself out there. Then you see the crack and things falling apart. But that's how she's getting to who she's meant to be. That's what I love about her. As you watch the season go on, you see more and more of it. I love how we introduced her, and I love how [Taylor] gives her these moments of deep insecurity. You see her love for Tommy, and it's an unexpected, powerful love story.

TR: Was there anything you were surprised to experience or discover while filming Landman?

AL: There are so many interlocking story lines. It's a massive production. We have a crew of three hundred people. It was a $90 million dollar budget. It's a huge show. The pressure is also enormous. The surprise for me was that I didn't know how all the stories were going to fit together until I watched it. I thought, how is this all going to work together? I'm not someone who runs to watch themselves in what they're doing. I let it go, I leave it, and it is what it is---especially with movies. With Landman, I wanted to understand how Taylor was going to tell all the stories. This is also the first time in a show where he's really brought together so many tones. You have the Romeo and Juliet story; you have the high-stakes drama; you have the action, with the cartel; you have the explosions; you have another love story; you also have the family unit which is the heart of the show. I also think it's a real love letter to Texas.

TR: I think that that's what's really resonating with people. It's a stew filled with many different elements of story that you don't really see too often. While watching Landman episodes before they were released, I could see an award in Billy Bob Thornton's future for his portrayal of Tommy Norris, and I could see the same for you. What do you say about recent descriptions of your portrayal of Angela as 'cartoonish' by reviewers? Your co-star Billy Bob had a spot-on retort for that.

AL: I just speak about how I feel about her. Like Esquire, these things are simply soundbites. When you watch Landman you see incredible storytelling. My character is so multidimensional, not only do you see her when she's wild and provocative, you see her when she's raw; you see her crack and break. I feel like I've never really gotten to play a character like this, a character who I've gotten to explore so many emotions with, showing all these sides of a woman. They really allow for it on the show. At the end of episode five, Angela's thrown this dinner party. She's done everything for it. Then you see her and Tommy in the quiet of morning, and you see how they connect. Angela goes to work with Tommy, this horrible accident happens, and you see a woman who isn't comfortable, who realizes something about danger. You're watching powerful scenes through her point of view. I love Taylor Sheridan's storytelling, and I just love Angela. I think audiences have fallen in love with her too. That's been exciting. So full steam ahead. Let's keep going.

TR: Who is Taylor Sheridan as a creative?

ALI: Someone who knows what they want and is going to get it. When I took my foot off the pedal a little bit and did something, he was right there. He likes her, he wants her this way. I've talked about this before: it's easier for me to do a quiet bedroom scene, like a scene in Landman where Billy and I are talking, having a real moment of understanding...than it is to have to put on a bikini and own a scene in front of a crew of three hundred, and find this woman's power and comfort in her body. That's hard. I have to dig deep to find that. I have to zip into my leopard suit and really embody my character. Taylor wants this woman to be bold and strong, and thankfully, he writes all the other scenes that show her differently. When a writer-director is clear on what they want, that's a gift to an actor. I can help tell the story that they want to tell.

TR: On set at our cover shoot, we got to talking about you having to be in a bikini repeatedly to play Angela. I absolutely love this leopard fashion moment we're doing in our cover story versus the Angela leopard we see in Landman, in her overtly-sexy way. What did you do both emotionally and physically to prepare?

AL: Angela takes an enormous amount of energy so I really have to ground myself. When I wasn't working, I was grounding myself. I was preparing the material. I was thinking about what she was going through in all the moments. When I come onto set to deliver it, it means that I've taken care of my body. I'm eating right. Before these scenes, I need to sit quietly. I'm not someone on set who sits on the cast chairs and chats. I am alone. I'm keeping myself very, very calm so that when I need to go out and project for her, I can. Angela sees everything. She's doing everything. She charges through scenes. Protecting my own energy was big for me.

TR: Angela is so spontaneous and unfiltered, and she's a free spirit.

AL: In one scene I'll go from laughing to crying...all over the place---and that's not planned. As the audience, you watch it and it looks like one take, but we've been doing that for three hours. You're honing it, then you lock it down by the time you're in your closeups. But Angela's so free, I don't know what's going to make her cry or what's going to make her laugh, or what's going to make her mad and fiery.

TR: You must be thrilled to play someone who can take an audience on the ride that she does.

AL; For sure. Not since Legally Blonde have I gotten to play this kind of role. And I also I love that Taylor wrote the part for a 48-year-old woman, you know? A character who, most of the time, would be in her late twenties or early thirties. I'm playing a woman at a different time in her life, yet she doesn't stop and she doesn't apologize for it. She never apologizes. Owning it is the truth of who Angela is.

TR: One of the aspects of your character and Landman that I find so interesting to watch, is this very unconventional relationship Angela has with her daughter, Ainsley. How do you describe their relationship?

AL: We want to say that it's very unique, but truthfully, I think people need to open their eyes [Laughs] a little bit. She looks at her daughter as her best friend. And she's trying to prepare her for a world where not everyone's route is to become a scientist or a surgeon. When you see these women, they are where their opportunity is. So they take care of their bodies. They take care of the home. Angela is an almost-version of a trad wife. [Laughs] She just wants Ainsley to be taken care of in life, to have someone to provide for her and take care of her, and love her. They're very funny together. They talk very candidly, and they're unfiltered. You don't see that a lot on television between mothers and daughters. But guess what? We know how girls talk... [Laughs]

TR: Are we going to get to the root of Angela's big heart?

AL: Angela is so brilliant! Angela finds her calling in life. It's really interesting to see, and beautiful. Because she's not apologetic she goes through with what she thinks is right, and sometimes that's to the incredible benefit of people who really need it. She also can cause trouble, and she likes to cause a stir. But you do see where she ends up putting a lot of her energy and time, and I think it's incredibly sweet and shows her character, and shows who she really is.

Wardrobe.NYC blazer; Calzedonia sheer tights; Aquazzura bag; Aquazzura boots; Ray Griffiths Rings.  Photographed at The Hotel Chelsea NYC. 

TR: You've been back and forth between LA and New York over the years; you moved to Idaho during the pandemic. Since you've been a bit nomadic in your life,  what do you know about all these places you've called home?

AL: I think I am nomadic, but I think New York always feels the most like home to me. When you're walking down the street and you're talking to the firemen and the cops, you're in this energy and this melting pot---and it's actually where I've felt incredibly relaxed. Los Angeles was a different chapter in my life. What's interesting about getting older, is that you're able to understand that there are chapters in your life. I felt really lucky to be in LA during a time when so much was happening and there were so many opportunities for me. My time in New York was also incredibly informative and now, in Idaho---and I never would've thought I would live away from a huge city---has been such a gift, in its own way. I'm someone who, by nature, is able to pivot in life. I'm someone who is very curious. I don't live in a ton of fear. I really believe that if you walk through the world and opportunities come to you, it's about saying yes. If things don't work, you can change. Staying the same my entire life, and in one place, would destroy me. I wouldn't be able to do that.

TR: A lot of us tend to get so serious and put our heads down and forget: I have the ability to make a change. I can fix this. For some it's easier than others, for any number of reasons, but I think that people tend to forget that if something doesn't work, they can do something else, they can move on in life.

AL: I agree. It is a big thing that we are allowed to change, and if something's not working, you redirect. It's like what McConaughey, says in his book, Greenlights. If you're getting green lights for a long time, maybe you should make some different decisions. That doesn't mean it's easy to change. All the times I've moved or have really changed my life haven't necessarily been without tears and pain, it's just that you keep pushing through them.

TR: You put out a cookbook, Kitchen Revelry, in 2013. When did cooking become important to you, and a skill that you chose to develop?

AL: It's been lifelong! The women in my family were and always are, around the kitchen table. We're always making appetizers and dinners and baking cookies and creating cocktails. Connection and joy has always been around food and cooking. I thank God that I've always had a good relationship with it. It stems from my parents and how they raised me and my sister, and then as I got older and started to travel, it was also how I found connection with people and how I met friends. I'd learned how to make pierogis. I was connecting through food wherever I was, and being taught what someone's passion is through food. Things trickle down from there. When you can find that connection, it can open up so many more.

TR: And there's so much storytelling in food. Are you going to put another cookbook out?

AL: ...There's so much storytelling in food. Maybe.

TR: What recipe would you suggest our readers, listeners, and followers make for a New Year's Eve indoors this year?

AL: I love fondue, so I do a champagne fondue, but you can also do it with chablis. Fondue seems so fancy, but it's incredibly easy to make. I also love making gougères, which are Gruyère cheese puffs. They're not that hard to prepare. Any cooking that has to be extremely specific is not for me. I need recipes that have freedom to them because I'm usually chatting, I've got the kids running around, and I've got people in the house. So I'm not making homemade croissants [Laughs], but I'll make gougères. I don't make homemade pie crust; but I love to make a crostata. You cook it down, you turn it over; I like messy cooking, where you can enjoy the process.

TR: What has partnering with your husband Hayes, a fellow creative, been like? Why and how did the two of you gel when you did?

AL: My husband's a bright light. He's incredibly funny and charming. He's also very stable. When I'm around him it relaxes me because he's actually quite calm. He can walk into a room and he doesn't get nervous. I can sometimes get nervous when I'm in groups of people. He very much grounds me and makes me laugh. That that's a big part of it. We connected deeply on the way that we wanted to raise a family and live our lives. Our family comes first for us. We have family dinner four nights a week. My daughter will say, 'Mom, do we have to have family dinner again?' And I'm like, 'Yes, you do. Sit down, and we're going to talk about our day.' That's something that I think me and Hayes really connect on. He loves to coach the kids' sports when he's home. There are definitely pluses and minuses to being married to another actor. He understands the work. Our schedules can get very interesting. I'm really thankful that our schedules haven't crossed over a lot and at the same time. He's also a beautiful writer and an intellectual. He constantly challenges my mind and makes me think about things in interesting ways. Eighteen years later...we still got it!

TR: What's important for your children to know and to be?

AL: Their true and unique selves. I really feel that what makes you unique is what makes you special. We don't push them so they peak in elementary or high school. We try to expose our kids to everything, whether it's traveling and exploring and seeing different cultures, or playing lots of different sports and not focusing on only one...that's also a big thing. Leading with kindness. If you see someone at school who nobody is talking to, be the person who steps up. That's really important to Hayes and I.

TR: How has Landman got you thinking about what's next? At one point you took some time away to raise your children. Where are you now with everything?

AL: I just love the show, I love the cast, and I love filming in Texas. There are so many things that I didn't know were coming. That's the thing. As an actor, you never know what's around the corner and what opportunities are going to come your way. If you're Nicole Kidman or Kate Winslet---two extraordinary actresses who inspire me with every choice they make and the work that they do---even they talk about how making movies is like pushing a boulder up a mountain. To have this role come around for me, and then to be able to grow up through playing her a little bit, finding a part of myself that was definitely gone for a long time, has been really fun. Exploring her has been really fun, so I hope to continue to tell her story....and I sold a show to Fox that I was interested in...and I had this book I was trying to make. Now is the time to also start thinking about what my next passion project will be.