Jerry Jones’ ‘Landman’ role surprised show’s production crew

When Jerry Jones made a recent appearance playing himself on the popular Paramount+ series Landman, he seemed to be struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Jones’ performance in the scene with series stars Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm surprised many people. They weren’t the only ones who were surprised. Turns out, production crew members couldn’t believe the Dallas Cowboys team owner played the role, and that he had so many lines.

The Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast contacted the show’s cinematographer, Robert McLachlan, for a behind-the-scenes look at Jones’ appearance. McLachlan admitted he was skeptical before the scene.

“When we were handed the script, they’re ‘Oh, that’s cool, you know, Jerry Jones character comes in and delivers this huge, long monologue. (They said) ‘Who have they got to play Jerry Jones?'” McLachlan said.

McLachlan has been in the business for 40 years and has worked on projects including Game of Thrones, Westworld, and the Final Destination franchise. He said bringing in amateurs for big roles is asking for trouble.

“I’ve done this a long time, and usually bringing in a non-actor to do something long like that … you’re really treading on thin ice,” McLachlan said.

But Jones nailed the part.

Jerry Jones going toe to toe with BILLY BOB THORNTON and Jon Hamm is insane lol. The near tears! The suppressed emotion! https://t.co/3M3OincHKJ

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 6, 2025

McLachlan said Jones arrived the day of the shoot via helicopter “with a small entourage.”

“The script supervisor, who’s been doing this a long time too,” McLachlan said, “she looked at me and kind of rolled her eyes, like, ‘Boy, that’s a lot of words for a non-actor to do.'”

We asked the cinematographer of Landman what it was like working with Jerry Jones as an actor. 👀

“The script supervisor, who’s been doing this a long time too, looked at me and kind of rolled her eyes, saying, ‘Boy, that’s a lot of words for a non-actor.'”

Safe to say, he… pic.twitter.com/y9FUL2z9FJ

— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) January 16, 2025

Jones got the role because he knows series co-creator Taylor Sheridan. Hamm told The Hollywood Reporter that Jones was told to be himself and the crew would make it work.

“It was a lot of takes,” Hamm said. “It was a lot of work, and it was fun. Jerry is a man who has led quite a life, as he told in the story there. I think that was the directive for him: Basically, tell your story and we’ll make it resonate, and that’s what happened. It was a very cool way to go about getting that story out there.”