From Ranch to Rodeo to Rig: How the Hair on “Yellowstone” & “Landman” Tells the Story

The season finale of Yellowstone, the modern-day Western saga that became a cultural touchstone, aired in December. Audiences didn’t have to wait long for creator Taylor Sheridan’s next project, Landman, the first season of which was released even before Yellowstone bowed on Paramount+. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Tommy Norris, a West Texas oil company operations manager (or landman), who, over the course of a single week, tries to stop a never-ending train of crises before they spin out of control.

The Dutton family dynamics were the beating heart of Yellowstone. In a similar fashion, in addition to workplace fatalities, lawsuits, and cartel threats, Landman’s action turns on Tommy’s relationship with his ex-wife, Angela (an indomitable Ali Larter), and children, high school cheerleader Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) and college dropout Cooper (Jacob Lofland). In each show, the main characters sport distinct looks that help define their role both among their kin and within the society they inhabit, and for that, credit goes to hair department head Tim Muir.

Working alongside the hair and makeup teams, each show brought its own continuity challenges. Yellowstone had a two-year filming gap in the show’s final season, while Landman was shot over the course of six months but takes place in about a ten-day span. We spoke with Muir about maintaining continuity in each show, working with redacted scripts, and using hair as a way to convey a place in society.

For Yellowstone, what did getting only redacted scripts mean for the hair department?

I worked on Marvel as well, so I understand what that looks like, but this was way beyond what I had ever dealt with as far as redacted goes. They really wanted Yellowstone to be super hush-hush because it was the last season. We went into a room and got the script read to us, and then that was it. There were no dailies, no sides in the morning, no nothing. We took notes on what was read to us, and that’s how we did the show.

And then you dealt with the gap in Season 5. How was that for you?

A lot of our cast was on other shows or had started other shows. We were adding extensions and also using wigs so that they could keep their looks for other shows.

Out of all the Yellowstone characters, Beth’s dramatic arc seems reflected in her hair the most. How did you pull that off?

When you’re introduced to Beth, you know that she’s very strong and she’s got this presence about her. She’s very cutthroat when you first see her in that boardroom. And then, when she goes to the ranch, you start to notice her secrets and her pain and hurt. So she becomes a little more disheveled, a little more undone, which I love. She also doesn’t really have that idea of what beauty is. She had a whole house full of men because her mom died when she was very young. And so what she knows is just what she’s put together, what she finds beautiful and sexy. And then she’s always got very heavy bangs. She never wants people to know that she could have a weakness. She wants to look fierce and scary. She also doesn’t want them to see the hurt and pain that she has because that could be used against her.

How did you approach hair length for men in Yellowstone? There’s a wide variety.

Kayce has longer hair. He’s my modern-day Tristan of the show. He’s not quite native and not quite a cowboy with his look; he’s between his wife’s side and his family’s side. So, I keep him a little longer and shaggier throughout the show. But if you look at Jamie, Jamie’s very clean cut. Rip is shaggy, but he’s pretty short. It just depends on the person and what their character brings to the show. And if someone comes into the show and they have longer hair and it works for the character, sometimes if it ain’t broke, I don’t fix it.

How do you research shows like Yellowstone and Landman?

Wherever the story takes place, I do my research. I go through the town, and I see what the townspeople are like. I go to the bigger cities to see what that might look like. I was fortunate enough to live in Utah for a little while. In the beginning, you see Beth in a boardroom in Utah. I know what that looks like. People can come from anywhere, but they tend to start to conform to wherever they land. Taylor’s a really great writer, so he gives you a very detailed description of who these people are and where they come from in the script, which helps. Then I work with the makeup artist and the costume designer, who are wonderful, to build these characters together.

In Landman, we really get a sense of Texas oil country hierarchy through the characters’ hairstyles. How did you approach that?

Right now, I live in Texas. I’m fortunate, I have four children, [including] a 17-year old daughter. I get to see what that dynamic looks like. For Michelle Rnadolph’s Aynsley’s character, she’s the typical long, big-haired, blonde Texas cheerleader. Ali Larter’s Angela is very sexy and beautiful but very over the top; bigger is better in Texas.

As far as Demi Moore and Jon Hamm’s characters, they come from oil money. I know a lot of people in the oil industry. I pulled from all of those looks to create their looks. The way Taylor describes Ariana [Paulina Chavez] is very naturally beautiful. I love natural texture. If we can play with it, I prefer it. I felt keeping her hair curly was just a really beautiful idea of who she is. Billy Bob’s character, he’s the second in command but runs the show. He’s constantly working, constantly on, and always has got a hat on. He’s kept, but unkept. So his hair is a little disheveled all the time because he’s always getting into something, and he’s working out in the heat and the humidity. It’s the same with his son. He’s always on the rig. I went and looked at what that looks like—I got to see a lot of Texas.

Ainsley and Angela’s tresses are truly impressive. Are those extensions?

They have a lot of hair, and I never give away my secrets.

Landman’s first season was shot over six months, but the story arc takes place over about ten days. How did you keep the hair consistent?

You see how blonde Angela and Ainsley are. We had to color them every week to every week and a half. And keeping that healthy is very hard. I had to do a lot of treatments, a lot of making sure that I was using very good quality colors and lighteners to be able to keep those looks up without damaging their hair.

What kind of team did you bring on for some big scenes with hundreds of local extras, like football games and the patch party?

I have a wonderful background team. I have a wonderful team in my trailer, as well. I couldn’t do it without them. I’m really big on storyboarding. When I create a look for a show for hair, I will storyboard all of the different sections and types of people that we do so that when the background comes in, they have a very good idea of where I’m going. And I’m a person who hires the best of the best. I love working with people who have the same creativity, and I know I can trust that if I give them a photograph, they know how to create that and bring that to life. Because we are working on a union show, every stylist that we hire has to be a union hairstylist. They are a union in Texas, and we have a lot of Texas hairstylists who work with us.

Yellowstone and Landman are currently streaming on Paramount+. 

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“Gladiator II” Cinematographer John Mathieson on Capturing Robotic Rhinos & Colossal Carnage

“Gladiator II” Production Designer Arthur Max on Rebuilding a Decadent, Debased Ancient Rome

Featured image: Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman” and Jennifer Landon on “Yellowstone.” Courtesy Paramount+