Kayla Wallace’s Rebecca may have met her match with Guy Burnet’s Charlie in more ways than one in Landman season 2. Wallace’s character served as something of a foil to Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris and his family in season 1, testing their dynamics as she pushed back on the way he managed operations, while also trying to protect M-Tex Oil from various lawsuits.

Charlie was initially introduced in Landman season 2 as a charming oil worker that Rebecca meets while taking a rough flight from Dallas to Midland, which leads to a bond between the pair as he helps her overcome her fear of flying with a combination of conversation and alcohol, and a night spent together. The two would reunite in episode 6, “Dark Night of the Soul,” as Rebecca is tasked with meeting a geologist to oversee the new well’s drilling to avoid further litigation from an insurance company, only to discover said geologist is Charlie.

As the two have agreed to let things progress in a steady fashion for the rest of the season, ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns interviewed Guy Burnet to discuss his Landman season 2 future. In reflecting on why he wanted to join the show, the FUBAR alum confessed that he “actually hadn’t seen the show” prior to being approached for it, instead only being familiar with co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s movies, but fell in love with the show as he dove into season 1 for preparation:

Burnet would later run into Sheridan before he even knew he had landed the part for Landman season 2 — to which the co-creator joked, “Oh, here’s my new employee” — and began discussing what the vision was for Charlie in the series. As Sheridan explained, “I wrote you as Indiana Jones,” which Burnet felt was “quite a way to describe” the character.

He was even taken aback by Sheridan telling him he didn’t have to do an American accent for the character, simply telling him that Charlie “is you” and that his introduction to the world of Landman will have him “have this set of skills,” but is ultimately there to “soften Rebecca up” before the end of the season. Burnet, acknowledging that Charlie’s there to “add a new dimension” to Rebecca’s storyline, went on to tease that the rest of the season will see his M-Tex character inadvertently forcing Rebecca’s personal and professional worlds to collide, as the characters have “an animalistic chemistry” with “some universal force that’s pulling them together“:

On the note of Billy Bob Thornton, Burnet warmly recalled having become “best friends” with the Oscar winner during filming the series. Praising the Landman star as being “the best guy,” he said that the two “spend every night just drinking Michelob Ultras together and philosophizing about life,” calling Thornton “one of the greatest human beings.”

Rebecca & Charlie’s First Landman Season 2 Scene Was A Curious One For Burnet & Wallace

 Emerson Miller/Paramount+

ScreenRant: Taylor and his cohort really said they wanted it to be you. I’m curious what it was like coming up with the look and style of Charlie.

ScreenRant: How did it feel having all that extra weight on you as you’re in the oil fields in Texas?

Guy Burnet: Mostly everything is in Texas, pretty much. But then we went to an offshore rig in Louisiana, and it was muggy and humid, and there were bugs and s–t just living in my mullet at that point because I was basically on the rig out there in the swampland area. It gets f–king hot, and I like it! Because let me tell you, it’s f–king cold in New York and London. My family originally comes from much hotter climates, so I’m weirdly more adapted to the heat, and I loved it. Honestly, I just fell in love with Texas. I dig it.

ScreenRant: We’ve got to talk about Rebecca. I absolutely love your meet-cute on that airplane. What a chaotic time to have your characters meet. Was that your guys’ actual first scene filming together?

ScreenRant: Rebecca is a feisty character, by the way, and I find it so interesting how Charlie is this mix of the nice guy character while also knowing how to clapback at her. What is that like for you as a performer, balancing those two contrasting personality types?

Guy Burnet: It’s a really good question, man. As an actor, all you can ask for is some conflict of interest, whether it’s inside you or whether it’s from the outside world. For Rebecca, you have this guy who becomes a catalyst to see another dimension of her. How cool is it for Kayla to be able to play this in a more three-dimensional way, perhaps? It’s the same for me. I read it, I go, “Okay, I’m here to serve the story and serve her. What else can I bring from me to the dynamic of these two?” I think it’s that. Is she out of my league? Yeah. Are these circumstances insane to him? Yeah, but he’s a gambling man. He’s happy-go-lucky. He’s also very good at what he does, and he’s also on his journey. If the circumstances allow it, and he’s lucky enough to somehow be with her, he’s hit the jackpot. But if not, he’ll move on to his next adventure, whatever that might be. The cool thing about playing that, for me, is that it feels like where I was coming from in life as well. What I was trying to bring to the characters is that element of being almost fearful that something is too good to be true. Like, “S–t, she’s so nice. She likes me. This just happened, but she’s not going to want to be with me.” Then there’s the work stuff, which he’d love to advance, but maybe we don’t want to mash that together. It’s like, “She’s going to hurt me at some stage anyway, so let’s just enjoy it.” All of these dynamics are working on the inside whilst we are delivering the story that you guys are seeing. And there is nothing better as an actor than to play a character that has all of these things going on simultaneously.