She’s known for iconic roles in films such as Varsity Blues, Legally Blonde and Final Destination and she’s been captivating audiences since her teenage years. But that doesn’t mean Ali Larter takes it lightly when she knows she’s landed a really good role.
“I’m not sure how much I can tell you, but she is a lot!” the 48-year-old says during our early fall shoot. If you aren’t familiar yet, you will be: Larter is referring to Angela, the “vibrant, splashy, sexy and all-things southern beauty queen” she plays in Landman, which premiered on Paramount+ this past Sunday.
The Taylor Sheridan series is set in the boomtowns of Texas, with Larter starring opposite Billy Bob Thornton—and let’s just say the show is “high stakes” and the dynamic of the ex-wife and husband is complex. (Co-star Demi Moore called it “off-the-charts fantastic and kind of juicy.”)
What isn’t complex is Larter’s personal life. Since leaving Los Angeles and setting up shop in a mountain town with husband Hayes MacArthur, their two children and their dog, she has been enjoying “small-town life,” as she revels in what she calls a “career highlight” via Landman. “I’ve been so lucky to always have my family ground me,” she says. “That’s what has always been able to keep me going.”
You’ve referred to Angela as “all Versace and diamonds.” How did you get into character?
It was very specific. It all starts with Taylor’s writing, of course. The process starts on the page. He wrote this incredibly colorful, larger-than-life, fun, witty, wild woman. Angela is someone who’s incredibly comfortable in her body. That was part of it, too. It started with the accent, which is specific to West Texas. That was something that I worked on two to three times a week for months leading up to the shoot. Getting the accent on point was a big thing for me—especially the way they say oil, which is “ol,” and the WHs have a lot of breath in them. Working on that was a big part of it.
Then, getting into shape for the role was huge. I knew I needed to get there before I even got into the wardrobe fittings. I asked myself: “How am I going to feel the most confident in my body at my age knowing that this woman’s going to be wearing a lot of bikinis and she’s so comfortable in it?” It was all of that.
When we got into the wardrobe, it was so much color, neon and oranges. Angela doesn’t really wear any black or white. The clothing is colorful. She loves a lot of cleavage and she loves to have her legs out. She has no problem strutting in a five-inch heel. But I had a problem; I had to work on that! She loves her animal print, too. Every day I was dipping into my leopard suits and off I went as Angela.
What did you do to get into shape for the role?
It was a bunch of things. And it wasn’t easy! It was hard because I was also living in the mountains, eating a lot of fondue. [laughs] Cutting that out was not easy. Running is key for me. I run three days a week, like four or five miles and then I do strength training for the other two or three days. I do 30- or 45-minute heavy weights. Those two things really helped me click it into gear.
But it’s not just exercise; it was also definitely my diet. I got really clean with it. It was a lot of protein, eggs, chicken, salads, steaks, a lot of cottage cheese and a lot of Quest Bars. I definitely allowed myself that vodka martini on the weekends and I enjoyed it, but I really cut back on the wine and the sugar. That was all gone. I kept the diet simple and ate a lot of the same things each day, which also really helped. Not switching it up all the time kept it simple.
Well, Angela is definitely a character for the ages. This is a hugely impressive ensemble cast. What was it like when you got the call that you got the job?
Billy is our fearless leader in all of this. He is such an extraordinary actor. To be able to work with him was so inspiring. He raised the game every single day. The cast is incredible. Jon Hamm, Demi Moore and Michael Peña, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph—everyone gave 110 percent on this show. I felt so grateful to get a seat at the table. Within that, it was making sure that I gave 110 percent of myself to make sure that this could be the best version of this show.
I think it’s safe to say you succeeded. There has been so much interest in you discussing the fact that you no longer live in Los Angeles and moved to Idaho. Are you surprised by how much people care about that story?
It wasn’t planned. I’ve lived in so many different places my whole life, but I don’t think that Hayes and I ever thought we would be leaving Los Angeles. Mainly because that’s where our careers and our work were. During COVID, when things all started to crumble and fall apart, we made the choice about what was best for our family. We decided to take a road trip into the mountains and we thought the kids could ski and still deal with the Zoom school, which was a disaster.
When we landed in Idaho, we found this really extraordinary community. We started looking at each other, thinking, “Can we make this work?” We rolled the dice and said, “You know what? Fortune favors the bold. Let’s go for it.” We trusted in our family and we just pivoted. We jumped in without knowing where we were going to land. It was definitely not without its challenges. There were many, many, many hikes up that mountain where I had tears rolling down my eyes, worrying if I’d given up my 30-year career. But you have to remember what’s important to you.
When we found this place, we decided what we thought was best for our family and our life and went for it. Then, this magical show appeared. You kind of give it all away…and it comes back for more.
That’s amazing. You’ve been in this industry for a while. Is it hard to believe you started so young and it’s all been such a big part of your life?
It’s really interesting. I have a 13-year-old son now and that’s the age I started working. I can’t imagine him taking off and starting a full-on career. From a young age, I was very independent. My family always taught me to dream big—that the sky was the limit, to go for it. I had such an incredible support system. It allowed me to go into New York City and be around very adult situations. I always had my family to help me stay grounded, so I was able to do what I needed to do for work and then come home. Then, I kept going and I kept pivoting. A door would open and I would seize the moment and just keep going forward to a life I dreamt about.
Well, it all worked out. Obviously, being in this industry so long, you’ve been exposed to all the products during glam. What are some of your beauty holy grails?
For me, Weleda cream is the most amazing affordable luxury. That cream is so good. It’s one of the greatest things out there and you can put it on your face or body. I love the Augustinus Bader eye cream. That one is really helpful. I do use a little bit of retinol. Then, I love the SkinCeuticals CE serum in the morning. That is a product that has really helped my skin. I like to sleep in the SIO eye pads if I’m working. Those are so great. They’re like the stickers and they definitely help lessen wrinkles and creases.
Diet-wise, I start my day with celery juice and then work out. I believe sweating is such a huge part of beauty. If I don’t go for a run, then I’m going to steam. I try to sweat every day. It’s like my little exercise for the skin.
What else beauty-wise am I obsessed with? Right now, I love the Westman Atelier under-eye concealer. It is just a phenomenal product. I love it and I love their bronzer too. I love Laneige; I love their sleep mask. I’m also big on Olaplex.
I’ve been using Lancôme primer and mascara for 20 years. It’s the only one I find that does not go under your eyes and make that smudge. I’m really into that.
I love Charlotte Tilbury’s lipstick and lip liners. They’re so classic to me and they’re so great. There’s one other product I just started using that I’m really liking. It’s the Iris&Romeo Reset Spray. I find that it just kind of gives you a glow back and plumps up your skin.
I also like Chanel Lumière. Their stuff is really nice. Oh, and obviously ILIA’s Super Serum Skin Tint. That’s my daily. It gives you that glow. I really like glowy skin. Being older, I don’t like wearing a lot of makeup. But this tint is very light, and it keeps skin looking glowy. I like putting on some of the ILIA and adding a little of the Westman Atelier blush.
Those are all really good ones. Great picks. When I think of you, I think of so many different iconic roles that had to do with beauty. Varsity Blues, Heroes, Final Destination. Is there one that really sticks out to you glam-wise, where you go, “Wow, I remember this one?”
Legally Blonde is definitely one that is memorable. She was in her Dior dresses and the full hair and makeup. She was the queen bee. That was definitely a process. That was some “super glam!” In my real life, I prefer to be much more subtle, so it’s fun when you get to play a character who likes to be unabashedly glamorous. It’s really fun.
Then, Resident Evil with Claire Redfield, I was always dying my hair red. I’ve done three of those, and a lot of the times we’re just getting as dirty as we can get. Paul Anderson likes Milla Jovovich and me as beaten up and dirtied and bloodied as possible.
Heroes was cool because it differentiated the characters a lot, especially Niki and Jessica. One was much more pulled back in denim and a tired, single mother and the other was more of a powerhouse. It was fun to be able to differentiate the two.
What else really stood out character-wise for me? I have a movie called The Man in the White Van coming out in December and it takes place in 1974. There was something really nice about dropping into that time period with the hair—it’s kind of pinup and has that bounce to it. It’s really fun to be able to use looks and to drop into the characters.
