{"id":146968,"date":"2025-11-21T20:29:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/146968\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:29:13","slug":"landmans-ali-larter-on-small-town-life-jersey-tomatoes-and-sam-elliotts-blue-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/146968\/","title":{"rendered":"Landman\u2019s Ali Larter on Small Town Life, Jersey Tomatoes, and Sam Elliott\u2019s Blue Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ali\"pinterest\"<\/a><\/p>\n

David Engelhardt<\/p>\n

Ali Larter has lived in her fair share of cities\u2014Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo\u2014but wide open spaces keep calling her name. “Nature has a profound effect on me,” says the actor, who relocated from Los Angeles to Idaho with her young family during the pandemic. “As working actors, my husband and I didn’t even realize that a life outside of L.A. or New York was a possibility. But when the world shut down during Covid, we wondered if there was a better way.” <\/p>\n

Neither Ali nor her husband, Hayes MacArthur<\/a>, had ever been to their small mountain town (population: 1,771), but when they reached their destination after driving roughly 800 miles due north, it felt like a literal blank slate. “It was covered with snow, and life just started to unfold for us. When we finally went back to Los Angeles [a few months later], Hayes and I looked at each other, like, ‘You know what? Our family is first.’ We rolled the dice and didn’t know how it would play out with work, but it was the best decision.” <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a different level of respect that comes with growing up in an intimate community.\u201d <\/p>\n

The timing was particularly poetic given that their snowy January 15th arrival coincided with their daughter Vivienne’s sixth birthday. (She’s now 10; brother Theodore is 14.) “I love raising kids in a small town. There’s a different level of respect that comes with growing up in an intimate community\u2014when you’re in line, you don\u2019t bump your horn at the car in front of you because you probably know them. Manners mean something.” (The family has also gotten involved with local organization Higher Ground<\/a>, which makes recreation more accessible for those with disabilities.)<\/p>\n

Although Ali and Hayes did not have much experience with small-town living, they’ve spent family summers in Kennebunkport, Maine\u2014where the couple also got married\u2014and she acknowledges that the coastal hamlet’s charms may have seeped into her subconscious. “It’s become a cornerstone for our children\u2014it’s very authentic and full of Americana. You’re not going there to go to bougie parties. You’re going bike riding and to beach picnics. It’s a smaller life.”<\/p>\n

Whether in Maine or Idaho, the family has happily embraced the slower pace. “I’m old enough to be aware that there are chapters in life. I’m going to blink and they’ll be in college. For this chapter of raising children, our kids are free-range. They ride their bikes to school. When you make decisions for right reasons, life unfolds in a positive way.” <\/p>\n

\"ali\"pinterest\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Emerson Miller<\/p>\n

Perhaps it was that positive unfolding that led to Ali’s starring role in Landman, Paramount’s hit show co-created by Western whisperer Taylor Sheridan (see: Yellowstone, 1883, 1923). Ali acknowledges that it was an arduous audition process, but worth it for the chance to play the role of Angela. “She was so alive and can flip on a switch.” (That’s probably why there are now montages dedicated to Angela’s lively FaceTime conversations<\/a> with Tommy, played by Billy Bob Thornton.)<\/p>\n

Ali also enjoys ample screen time with veteran actor Sam Elliott<\/a>, who plays Tommy’s father. “He is an absolute dream,” she says. “We immediately connected. He is such an honest and open man. In one of our first scenes together, he was outside sitting on a chair looking out at horses, and I came out and perched on the chair with him. Before we started filming, we talked about his daughter, his beautiful wife … It felt really genuine. Those big blue eyes are filled with such soul and depth.” Ali also appreciates how his character on the show sees the beauty of Angela and her daughter Ainsley (played by Michelle Randolph). “You can see in the way he looks at us that he sees the joy in our characters. [The audience] gets to see us through his eyes, and it’s so special.”<\/p>\n

It’s also obvious that Ali’s aforementioned appreciation of nature extends to human nature. She’s especially passionate about\u2014and adept at\u2014infusing characters that could be construed as “surface level” with thoughtful, nuanced layers, the acting equivalent of low-and-slow Texas barbecue. “It doesn\u2019t deeply interest me to play a clich\u00e9 role,” she says. “I’d rather play someone bold and fearless and emotional.” To home in on Angela’s fiery Southern accent, Ali worked with dialect coach Jessica Drake<\/a> (who also helped British actress Kelly Reilly<\/a> transform into Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton). “Jessica is one of the most renowned dialogue coaches in the world. There’s so much that goes into an accent\u2014how old you are, whether you grew up with finances. Angela didn’t grow up with wealth, so the w-h sounds were a big part of that. We work every week to make sure [the accent] stays in place.” <\/p>\n

Spending time in Texas was also a boot camp of the square-toe variety. “I have shot three movies in Austin, but this was my first time heading to Fort Worth,” says Ali, who notes that she was struck by the authenticity of the city as well as other West Texas towns like Midland and Odessa. “You’ll find real stockyards and real cattlemen\u2014not people putting on a cowboy hat trying to look cool.” <\/p>\n

That commitment to authenticity even extends to the interiors of Ali’s ranch-style modern mountain house. “I can smell a fake,” says Ali, who prioritized natural textiles and natural marble with the help of frequent design collaborator Amanda Masters<\/a>. Husband Hayes, however, was not sold on the latter.<\/p>\n

“Our biggest blowout was over the marble,” she admits of the material that many consider to be too porous and therefore impractical. “I love all the black veining and even the water stains,” says Ali. “I think a kitchen should feel used. Go inside a brasserie in France and you’d see the same thing\u2014it\u2019s the stories that come with real life.” Even though the house itself has modern leanings\u2014”clean lines relax me,” says Ali\u2014much of the furniture is vintage. “We brought in the soul with antiques,” she says. That includes a Milo Baughman sectional that she recovered in outdoor fabrics. “It’s not my first rodeo; I know I can’t do white cashmere. I don’t like having a ‘careful’ house.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not my first rodeo; I know I can\u2019t do white cashmere. I don\u2019t like having a \u2018careful\u2019 house.\u201d <\/p>\n

Other design essentials include neutral colors (“I do love creams and whites” she says), “crisp, beautiful sateen sheets” (Sferra is a favorite brand), and a covered deck complete with heat lamps to make outdoor gatherings a year-round possibility. “We’re still able to go outside when it’s 30 degrees out, likely wrapped in a cozy Lola blanket.”<\/p>\n

The wintry reference calls to mind one of the family’s most memorable you’re-not-in-Los Angeles anymore moments shortly after moving to Idaho. “I remember waking up early\u2014in winter at 6 a.m., it’s still very dark out here\u2014and looking outside and seeing black mounds. I wondered whether a gardener had left something in the yard\u2014maybe huge things of dirt\u2014and walked outside to see a herd of beautiful elk not even 10 feet from me. They slowly stood up\u2014elk are gentle, moose are the dangerous ones\u2014and we wrapped ourselves in a blanket as a family and watched in awe.”<\/p>\n

\"ali\"pinterest\"<\/a><\/p>\n

David Engelhardt<\/p>\n

These days the main majestic creatures on the property are the family’s two dogs, Bootsy and Nala. When asked whether she wants more animals\u2014perhaps chickens or horses\u2014to add to her brood, she says “Are you kidding me?!” in a way that feels like a resounding yes. “I have to gear up to be ready, but I do feel like there’s a part of our pack that’s still missing.” While she acknowledges that life is a bit too busy at the moment to take on much else, she has managed to tend to the garden that includes lettuces, pumpkins, zucchini, strawberries, basils, and Early Girl tomatoes, which she uses for homemade pasta sauces. “I grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and my grandfather was an avid gardener. He grew Jersey tomatoes, and my mom also has an incredible green thumb.” Ali notes that gardening in the mountains has proven much more challenging than growing produce in sunny and temperate Los Angeles. “We can get a frost in June that wipes everything out, but you just have to go with it. I grew a huge patch of peonies, but I think they all died. The first year the elk ate everything, so we put up a fence.”<\/p>\n

As the holiday season approaches, Ali comes off surprisingly relaxed given her mile-a-minute press tour promoting Landman’s second season, streaming now<\/a> on Paramount+. That’s partially because she’s already hosted Thanksgiving, thank you very much. “Because the Aspens were already so yellow and I knew November would be a beast, I hosted a harvest dinner ‘Friendsgiving’ back in October. I found the one turkey in town\u2014a 22-pounder\u2014and served a big family-style dinner for ten of us.” Ali and her family will be spending the actual holiday with her parents\u2014at a restaurant, most likely\u2014so they can spend more time catching up than cooking. “My parents moved to Palm Springs thinking we would be in Los Angeles forever,” she says with a laugh. “I still feel terrible about that!”<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Rachel Hardage Barrett has written for and edited lifestyle publications for more than 20 years. As the editor-in-chief of Country Living, she has covered all things related to country life\u2014including design, gardening, food, travel, antiques, crafts, and country pop culture\u2014for more than a decade. Before Country Living, Rachel spent several years at Southern Living, where she served as Executive Editor covering travel, food, style, and features. Before Southern Living, Rachel was the Special Projects Director of Real Simple, where she wrote and oversaw books and special issues about food, travel, weddings, organizing, and parenting in addition to working on international editions and licensed products. Before working at lifestyle brands, Rachel started her magazine career at Glamour, where she wrote and edited relationship articles, celebrity interviews, as well as fashion and features content. When she\u2019s not working on the magazine, she can likely be found poking around an antiques shop, perusing country real estate listings, or dreaming of opening a general store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"David Engelhardt Ali Larter has lived in her fair share of cities\u2014Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo\u2014but wide open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[2519,98444,2117,156,2120,2462,111,139,69,98443,437],"class_list":{"0":"post-146968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-content-type-feature","9":"tag-contentid-0c6ae20e-b95b-4e3d-b69a-8fe6801c4947","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hasproduct-true","13":"tag-locale-us","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz","17":"tag-shorttitle-talking-landman-and-small-town-life-with-ali-larter","18":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}