Trending News
Landman’s Sam Elliott Shares an Update on His Physical Health
For decades, Sam Elliott built a career playing rugged cowboys, ranchers and tough guys you definitely don’t want to cross in the wild. These days, though, the 81-year-old actor says some of the physical struggles facing his latest character feel a little less fictional.
In an interview with Variety shared on Tuesday, May 26, Elliott opened up about portraying T.L. Norris on Landman and admitted that one especially emotional storyline from Season 2 hit a little too close to home.
“The truth of it is, [that scene] is very true to where I am at this point in my life physically,” Elliott shared. “Not mentally, but physically. I’ve had a hard life. I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I’ve been a laborer all my life, and I’m paying for it now.”
The moment he referenced came during one of the show’s most heartbreaking scenes, when T.L. becomes trapped in a swimming pool after realizing he can no longer pull himself out on his own. As his son Tommy Norris (played by Billy Bob Thorton) rushed to help him, T.L. tearfully admitted, “It’s a curse my mind is sharp. I get to sit here and process all the ways my body is failing me.”
Over the last six decades, Elliott has quietly become one of the most recognizable actors in the business, thanks to his unforgettable roles in The Big Lebowski, Road House and A Star Is Born, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination in 2019. And while he admits aging has changed the types of roles he can play, he sounds more reflective than bitter about it these days.
“I’m not going to go out and play the young leading, dashing man at this stage,” Elliott told the outlet. “The fact that there’s a part that I can get into and really enjoy doing, it’s a wonderful thing.”
That perspective is something he developed early in his career. Rather than chasing every paycheck that came along, Elliott said he intentionally tried to build a career with longevity in mind.
“I determined early on that if I wanted to have a long career, I couldn’t work for the dollar and do anything that came along,” he explained. “I had to be selective and judicious about what it was that I got involved with.”
Despite opening up about the physical toll aging has taken, it sounds like Elliott still approaches work with the same dedication he’s always had.
According to one of his Landman co-stars, the veteran actor is practically impossible to get off set. Actress Kayla Wallace told People in December 2025 that Elliott “never leaves” during filming, even when he’s not scheduled to shoot scenes himself.
“He’ll find a place to sit—a bench, an apple box, whatever. He’s not fussy,” Wallace explained. “He’s just happy to sit there and be a part of it and watch all of us perform.”
That kind of dedication is hard to find nowadays, but it may also explain why Elliott has managed to remain such a respected presence on screen for more than 60 years. He just wants to keep doing the work he loves.
Add Reader’s Digest on Google!
