Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Landman season 2, episode 6, “Dark Night of the Soul”!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:

I’m not just saying that for interviews on this thing, where you’ve got to say you like a thing. I really loved it, because it’s rare. You can do stuff where you’re like, “Oh, s–t. I don’t know if I would watch this. ” But this one I was into, I watched, and I found it universal. It hits every demographic; everything is covered in it. There’s no pretentiousness in it, and it manages to measure the drama and the comedy and the insanity of that world in a really good way. So, I watched it, and I was like, “Man, this is good. I would like to be part of this. I hope that it does come through.”

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“:

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

They’re like, “F–k it, let’s just go with this a little bit and see where it leads us. It’s probably going nowhere, but for now, this is where we are.” As it evolves, because of what his occupation is, naturally, she also comes to find this guy has an expertise in this area. I think there’s a natural evolution for him to then become involved in Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore’s M-Tex world. I think you’ll begin to see that he branches out beyond just his relationship with Rebecca.

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.

Guy Burnet: I kept it going a little bit. There was a reason for it. I think I had really long hair, and then I went and cut my own hair with kitchen scissors one day, but I left the mullet. When Taylor met me, I had the mullet, and he was looking at me like he couldn’t quite understand what was going on. I was this English guy from London who lived in New York and had a mullet, and he just went with that. I mean, this is a f–king genius, man. He doesn’t go, “Okay, I’m going to create this character, and this is how I want it.” He sees you, he studies you, he feels it, he gets it, and he’s able to just marry what he already has marinating in his mind with who you are. And he adds it to the mix! I’ve never seen that before. I actually have to get rid of it in a couple of weeks, but I just thought I’d enjoy it for a little while longer.

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?

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Guy Burnet: No. The first scene was when we were both naked in the bedroom, and we just slept together. That wasn’t the first time we met, though, because I was like, “Hey, do you want to meet up before this occurs?” We did, and she was so game for all the stuff we wanted to bring to it. But the first time was when we were naked in her bedroom. We had a laugh with that; I think it was a cool icebreaker. I wonder whether we would’ve played the scene on the plane exactly the same way had we not done the bedroom scene before. And I say that because, after I did the bedroom scene, Taylor and I had this conversation where it was important that she’s way out of my league. This woman wouldn’t hook up with me! We’re from two different worlds. She’s super attractive, and she’s feisty, and she’s successful. And who the hell am I? But it just happens to be that she sits next to me, and I’m like, “Hey, how are you doing?” I don’t think, “Here’s this cute chick I want to hit on.” It’s completely the opposite. It just happens to be that there’s turbulence, and she has a fear of flying. And this guy is a happy-go-lucky adventurer who, if he dies the next day, he’s like, “F–k it, I live life to the max.” They have a very different philosophy, and his somehow intertwines with hers. The circumstances are what led to this, rather than him hitting on her. And I think that’s the right way to do it, because even I was looking at her on set and going, “God, she’s so beautiful.” And in my mind, I was thinking, “Are the audience even going to believe this? They’re going to be like, ‘This is actually ridiculous. She’d never sleep with this guy!'” But thankfully, the circumstances make it so that she does. Will it be a one-night stand? He thinks it probably will. She definitely thinks it is. But the universe has funny ways of pulling people together sometimes when you’re meant to be 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.

Be sure to dive into some of our other Landman season 2 coverage with:

• Our Landman season 2 episode 6 review
• Our guide to what episode 6’s ending means for the show’s future
• Our pre-release Landman season 2 interviews with Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Jacob Lofland, Paulina Chávez, Kayla Wallace, Colm Feore, Mark Collie, Mustafa Speaks and Christian Wallace
• Paulina Chávez on ScreenRant‘s Debunking AI series
• Kayla Wallace on ScreenRant‘s Debunking AI series
• Showrunner Christian Wallace and the cast weighing in on Landman‘s future without Taylor Sheridan
• How Sam Elliott’s character will bring “really beautiful moments” to the show
• How the death of Jon Hamm’s Monty is still impacting the characters this season