Guy Burnet has become the latest actor to join the dynamic cast of Paramount+’s hit series, Landman. Burnet, recognized for his performances in FUBAR, Counterpart, and the critically acclaimed film Oppenheimer, found his way into the show through an unexpectedly fortuitous encounter. The series creator, Taylor Sheridan, first crossed paths with Burnet in an unlikely setting. “I had taken a step back to reassess my life and found myself at a boxing gym,” Burnet recounted. “There, this strikingly well-built, tan man struck up a conversation with me. It was only later I discovered that he was Taylor Sheridan.”

This serendipitous meeting led Sheridan to envision a role for Burnet in the second season of the popular drama. “The opportunity arrived just as I had turned down several offers, aiming to find my direction,” Burnet explained. He feels that the character of Charlie Newsom found him rather than the other way around. “It felt like a stroke of magic, which is just the kind of effect Taylor has,” Burnet remarked with a gleam in his eye.

The character of Charlie Newsom is introduced in an intriguing scenario aboard a private jet, seated next to the formidable M-Tex attorney, Rebecca Falcone, portrayed by Kayla Wallace. As the plane experiences a turbulent takeoff and landing, Burnet’s enigmatic British character provides comfort to Rebecca, complete with his signature cocktail. Their chance encounter leads to a romantic interlude, leaving the question of whether their paths would cross again. In the tight-knit Midlands, fate reunites them when Rebecca requires the expertise of a geologist for an offshore drilling project, who happens to be none other than Charlie Newsom. “When Taylor described Charlie as an ‘Indiana Jones-type,’ I was immediately interested,” Burnet shared. “I loved that Charlie’s introduction was through a romantic lens rather than just another day at work.”

In a conversation with DECIDER via Zoom, Burnet delved into his character’s intriguing background, shared insights about filming one of the season’s most memorable scenes, and discussed Sheridan’s unique creative prowess.

DECIDER: Your path to landing the role of Charlie Newsom seems quite unusual. Could you tell us more about it?

GUY BURNET: [Laughs] Not in a conventional way whatsoever! I was taking a break and re-evaluating things, and I went to the boxing gym. While I was there, this very handsome, muscly, tanned man starts talking to me. We were, like, chatting away, and later, I learned that it was Taylor. The next day I got a message going, “hey, listen, Taylor met you at the boxing gym, and he’s thinking of this character that he wants to develop.” It didn’t feel real, and it still doesn’t, now that I’m telling you about it. I was very flattered, but I thought it was nonsense [laughs].

About a month later, I’m in New York, and we run into each other again! He’s like: “oh, there he is. There’s my new employee.” And I said, “what?” He was like, “I guess no one has told you!” He talked about Landman—which I hadn’t seen at the time—and explained that my character was going to be an Indiana Jones-type. And I liked the sound of that! And he goes, “you’re going to come down to Fort Worth and do it.” I mean, there was no choice in the matter, which is kind of funny. You just do what he says. Then I watched the show and loved it, which made me even happier.

This opportunity came at a time when I had just said no to a bunch of stuff. I was trying to recalibrate and really think about what I wanted to do next. This role chose me in a sense. It was like magic, but that’s just what happens around Taylor. He as this mercurial element that is inexplicable.

Clearly, Taylor Sheridan is not your average showrunner. What makes him different from other creators you’ve worked with in the past?

He’s an enigma of a human being. I’ve been lucky to work with good people, but Taylor is also an actor, which really influences his writing. His dialog is so fluid and brilliant. It’s so true to your character that it’s not even that difficult to learn. I’ll have to talk about geology for a paragraph or a monologue, which is something I don’t know a lot about. It just easily goes into my head because the writing is so naturalistic.

Charlie Newsom is such an odd bird. What’s a British geologist doing in the Midlands of all places? Did you two talk about a backstory for Charlie?

When he described the character as an “Indiana Jones-type,” I was sold. I didn’t know where it was really going to go. I don’t know if Taylor knew 100% where he was going to go. Taylor goes with the flow with how he develops his stories and characters. Taylor knew Charlie was going to be a geologist, which I immediately connected with because my dad has a degree in geology. I even called my dad up and asked him a few questions, which brought us together a little bit.

Taylor was excited—and so was I—to have this guy from London planted down in West Texas. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that. Also, I loved how Charlie was introduced with a romance instead of just through another day on the job. Taylor’s superpower is that he’s able to meet someone and immediately download everything about them and bring that into whatever work that he’s going to do at that time. Honestly, it’s unbelievable. Once he met me, he immediately understood everything about me and used that to build the character of Charlie.

Speaking of romance, I love how Charlie and Rebecca meet. Can you take about filming that turbulence sequence?

The crew was just fantastic. They rigged this whole plane interior on one of the stages and added hydraulics to it. It was like being on a roller coaster for the day. It made me realize that my job is ridiculous [laughs]. You realize the how silly this all is. I go in, meet the nicest people, and go on a theme park ride and just say these wonderful words.

We shot the next morning bedroom scene first before the we shot the plane sequence. Kayla and I had to get naked together immediately [laugh]. She and I met before and talked about life and just really tried to connect in the most naturalistic way we could. We had to feel comfortable with each other to bring that chemistry to the screen. That morning after they hooked up, Charlie’s like, “man, that was fantastic. In what world could this happen to me?” He’s just so happy-go-lucky! She’s like, “oh my God, what have I done?” He doesn’t press her. He’s just happy for the experience and off to his next adventure until hopefully the universe brings us back together again.

Rebecca Falcone doesn’t let down her guard easily. Why do you think she gives in to Charlie?

Rebecca is this strong, career-oriented woman who has had to fight her way to the top. Then she meets this guy who is very good at what he does too, but has a different way of looking at the world. These two people with two different philosophies get plonked next to each other, and circumstances brings them together. Rebecca is intrigued by him. Opposites tend to attract. Plus, he’s a genuinely nice guy [laughs]. Maybe he’s what she’s been missing.

I think fans will be very invested in where Rebecca’s and Charlie’s journey takes them this season.

I hope so! I think their connection is going to surprise people.