‘Landman’ star Guy Burnet talks season 2 and his favorite Fort Worth restaurants
Guy Burnet enjoyed his time in Fort Worth.
The 42-year-old London native stars in “Landman” as Charlie Newsom, a charming petroleum engineer who becomes romantically entangled with his fellow M-Tex Oil colleague — Rebecca (Kayla Wallace).
Burnet first appeared in episode four as a calming voice to Rebecca on a bumpy plane ride from Fort Worth to Midland.
“We were just on a roller coaster,” Burnet says about filming the scene. “I mean, our job is so ridiculous sometimes.”
Burnet’s Charlie returns in episode six (out now) and has another run-in with Rebecca.
Ahead of the episode, Burnet spoke to the Star-Telegram about exploring Fort Worth’s culinary scene and working on the oil industry show.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Star-Telegram: Guy, we’re based in Fort Worth where you guys make the show.
Guy Burnet: I love it down there, mate. I miss it.
S-T: The oil and gas business is commonplace here. Did you know much about this world before joining the show?
Burnet: No [laughs], that’s the truth. I knew nothing much at all about the oil and gas world. I didn’t know too much about Fort Worth. I mean, geographically, obviously, I knew it was right there, right beside Dallas. I had no experience of it, and I’d never been there before. I’m telling you the truth. I’ve said this in other interviews, sometimes in these things people just say stuff because this is what they’re meant to say and [expletive]. But I can say whatever I want right now.
The truth is, I loved Fort Worth so much. That doesn’t always happen with places that you go to or go and shoot, but I just dug it. I love the restaurants, I love the people. They have cool vintage [shops]. There was just great stuff down there. I would love to be able to spend more time down there. I really enjoyed it.
S-T: Maybe we can get you back here for season 3.
Burnet: I don’t know, man. It’s not up to me, but we’ll see [laughs].
S-T: Did you have any local favorites while you were in town?
Burnet: I’m a big foodie, you see. I very luckily, got to stay at the Bowie House, which is a lovely, beautiful hotel. I’d eat there a lot. But then, man, I got to remember the name. I have it written down because I have a list of my Texas or my Fort Worth restaurants. Man, maybe you can help me. There’s a Mexican restaurant that is just down from Bowie House on the road parallel to it. It’s kind of fancy. It’s like a fancy restaurant.
We got to find it. You got to write it, because it’s the best restaurant. I would go there nearly daily, and I’d sit at the bar and I talked to these guys. The chef would talk me through everything. I’ve been to Mexico. I’ve had great food. I lived in California at some stage in my life, had great Mexican food. This was a whole other world. It’s excellent. I’m going to make sure I find out the name.
Editor’s note: After the interview, Burnet confirmed that Don Artemio is the Mexican restaurant he was speaking about.
S-T: In a show full of hard-edge characters, your character Charlie comes in and has this softer side. He calms down Rebecca on the flight in episode four, and we later see his house with the shower aroma pods and whatnot. What appealed to you about this character?
Burnet: Oh, mate. Firstly, lucky me to get to even be part of the show, or to be part of Taylor’s world, or to work in general. Secondly, what appealed to me is that you have this guy, fish out of water. A guy who isn’t from that world, planted into that world. This guy, a Londoner, who is good at what he does, petroleum engineer. Gets to West Texas because that’s where he can do his work. But is not from that world at all. I love the idea of a fish out of water kind of character.
Then you add on top of that, the different dimensions of what builds from his character from the circumstances. You have this adventurer type, this happy-go-lucky guy who gets lucky and meets a really beautiful woman who he believes, or is, way out of his league. [She] would never be interested in him, and they happen to have a moment together. Then that moment leads to another circumstance where they have to meet again, and he has a set of skills which fit into that world. That’s what drew me to it. I mean, listen, man, it doesn’t take much to draw you to a Taylor Sheridan script. Genuinely, again, it’s like people [expletive] kiss ass and [expletive]. But it’s honest. I’m being honest. His writing is so [expletive] good, man. As an actor, you read it so fluent, you’re like, lucky me. I wish everything could be this way.
S-T: That first scene on the airplane establishes his character so quickly. I’m curious about how that sequence was filmed. Did they build a set that shook, or did you have to do all the shaking yourselves while the camera was stationary? How did that work?
Burnet: Well, you should know, firstly, the crew that works on this show is like the top level. I’ve done films with the top level, and these guys are the top, top level. All the different departments work at the highest level too. They built a plane rig on one of the stages out there, and they connected it to hydraulics. Basically, we would get into this thing. It was like we were in Disneyland for the day.
We were just on a roller coaster. I mean, our job is so ridiculous sometimes [laughs]. I’m so lucky to do it. I would turn up on that day, and I would sit on a roller coaster for the day next to a really beautiful woman and have to do lines. I mean, it wasn’t rocket science, but it was very enjoyable.
S-T: Have you tried the vodka and watermelon juice cocktail that Charlie shares with Rebecca?
Burnet: When I read it, I was like, “I really like watermelon juice, but I’m a tequila drinker.” Then I was like, “You know what? I’m going to start doing this.” By the way, watermelon juice isn’t easy to come across. But when you do, it’s great. It’s full of electrolytes. I mix it with tequila now, and it has become my drink of choice when I can source it. If I cannot source the watermelon, what can I do? I’ll just have the tequila [laughs]. But otherwise, I want my tequila and watermelon. Vodka is a bit much for me right now
S-T: I was glad to see Charlie back in episode six, because you and Kayla Wallace have such good chemistry. I feel like actors either have chemistry or they don’t, and you guys do. How did y’all build that chemistry?
Burnet: Man, that’s really hard. She’s so cool, she’s so game. Kayla is the complete opposite to her character in real life. She’s the kindest, loveliest, sweetest, most generous person you can meet. When I first started, I got hold of her information, I reached out to her and said, “Hey, listen, before we just jump into bed together here on the show, do you think maybe we should meet up and have a chat?” She was like, “Yes.” She was super game.
We met up at the Bowie House, and we talked about our lives. She’s married and her husband is the loveliest man, too. I talked about my life. We became close and I think somewhat protective of each other, which then translated to the characters. We had each other’s backs. If you’re reading any chemistry on the screen, it’s something that we built together in life and were able to bring that in. That alongside, I guess, good writing and directing and editing.
S-T: You’ve shared most of your scenes with Kayla so far. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but I’ve seen some of the promo photos with you alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore in later episodes. What can you tease about Charlie’s role in the rest of the season?
Burnet: I mean, I got to be somewhat cautious about what I can give away and stuff like this so they don’t reprimand me [laughs]. As much as Charlie thinks there’s no chance that she’s ever going to want to be with him, I think the chemistry and the circumstances are pulling them together. As much as maybe this might not be a good idea, they can’t keep away from each other. There’s just this animalistic chemistry.
Then, because of his occupation and because of his certain set of expertise, he naturally will begin to open up into the other part of this world, beyond just the romance with Rebecca. So yes, there will be an interaction with Billy Bob and Demi, as you saw in the picture. I don’t think that’s giving anything away. Which just leads to, how do I say it? Some dramatic elements along the way.
“Landman” airs Sundays on Paramount+.
