Why Landman's Michelle Randolph Looks So Familiar

Blonde, beautiful, and baring a lot of skin, Michelle Randolph stole the screen from the moment she first appeared in "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan's latest series, "Landman." Almost overnight, viewers wanted to know more about the actor playing Ainsley Norris, the feisty 17-year-old daughter of Billy Bob Thornton's character Tommy Norris and his ex-wife Angela, who is played by "Legally Blonde" star Ali Larter. And who could blame them? Randolph made quite an impression in the first episode with that now famous scene where she unabashedly explains to her father the sexual "rules" she and her boyfriend follow. While the controversial scene might have made some viewers squirm due to her character's young age, it put Randolph on the collective radar and helped the show become yet another Sheridan hit.

"Landman" might be the project that catapults Randolph into celebrity status, but the Texas-based series isn't her first rodeo. The reason that the former model-turned-actor looks so familiar is because she cut her teeth on several small movie roles prior to striking oil with Sheridan. While watching her in action, it's hard to believe that, at one point, the California native wasn't certain that acting was her calling. As a teen, she had a love for sports, not the stage. "I did drama classes here and there, but I was really shy and had terrible stage fright," she told Grazia. "I never considered that I could make a career out of it." However, once she landed her first role, Randolph had a change of heart, and "Landman" viewers everywhere are glad she did. 

With her California girl good looks, it's no surprise that Michelle Randolph was signed to one of the biggest modeling agencies when she was still a teen. However, her modeling days didn't last long. "After signing with Wilhelmina Models, I immediately started acting," she said in a Grazia USA interview. "When I booked my very first movie, the second I walked onto set, I had so much fun and realized that's all I wanted to do." That first movie was "House of the Witch," a typical indie teen horror film that earned less than $50,000 in its limited release. Randolph played Rachel, one of four teens whose Halloween prank in an abandoned haunted house goes horribly wrong. 

The film failed to cast a spell with audiences. One IMDb reviewer wrotee, "The acting, dialogue, and special effects are absolutely atrocious," while another called it "a waste of time and money." While the film may not have been a hit, the experience helped Randolph find both her passion and her path. "I stopped modeling and pursued acting ever since," she told Grazia. In a strange twist of fate, "House of the Witch" paired Randolph with Darren Mann, who played her boyfriend. The pair reunited a few years later, making the small screen sizzle as Elizabeth "Liz" Strafford and Jack Dutton on the "Yellowstone" prequel, "1923." Randolph and Mann stayed in touch after filming "House of the Witch," and they were excited to be working together again. "I was so happy because it's obviously quite an intimidating show to walk into," she told Hollywood Reporter in 2023. "So, I was excited about having a lot of scenes with somebody I'm already comfortable with, and same with Darren." 

With her trademark blonde mane died brown, Michelle Randolph was almost unrecognizable in the 2018 TV movie "A Snow White Christmas." In this reimagining of the classic Disney fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Randolph played Blanca Snow, a young woman whose attempt at making family Christmas memories are foiled by her evil stepmother. As with the original version, the story features a handsome love interest, seven quirky pals, and a happily ever after. Although not a mainstream holiday hit, the movie appealed to some viewers, including the Hallmark Christmas crowd. While it may not have earned rave reviews, one IMDb user wrote, "It is a watch-it-one-time movie, it will never be a classic." Another reviewer noted, "The characters are cute, the budget is low, the sweaters are fabulous." 

One fan who couldn't contain her excitement over the production was the actor's sister, Cassie Randolph of "The Bachelor," who gave a shoutout to her little sis alongside a photo of the look-alike sibling on Instagram: "So proud of you my little twin @michellerandolph ♥️ Most adorable Snow White I've ever seen #asnowwhitechristmas 🎬🎄I want to fold you up and keep you in my pocket forever 🤟 ily." Beauty and a passion for being in front of a camera aren't the only things the Randolph sisters share in common. They are also the founders of a sustainable denim line, LNDN Denim. "We work well together," Randolph told C Magazine. "Working with family is nice because you're able to be honest and you don't have to hold back!"

In case one horror film wasn't enough, Michelle Randolph doubled down on the genre with the film "The Resort." Similar to "House of the Witch," the story involves four friends and a haunted building, only this time it's an abandoned resort on a remote Hawaiian island. The tropical setting allows for plenty of Randolph's character, Bree, to show off her enviable figure in crops tops and bikinis, but other than that there's not much to talk about. "This inane horror movie is so ludicrously cliché-ridden one starts to wonder if it's not some kind of sophisticated meta-joke being played on us," wrote one reviewer in The Guardian. 

Released only on digital and on-demand platforms, the movie didn't generate much buzz, but Randolph and the rest of the cast formed a tight bond according to Brock O'Hurn, who played Chris. "The chemistry we had, the cast, was immediate. We became friends right away," O' Hurn, whose luscious long locks rival Randolph's, told Scott Davis in an interview with HeyUGuys. He added that, "The girls were so sweet, and so fun, and so easy to collaborate with and work with." So while the characters of "The Resort" may or may not have survived (no spoilers here), it seems that the bond and friendship between the actors did. 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" was such a hit that it spawned not one but two successful prequels. However, at the time that Michelle Randolph landed the audition for Elizabeth Strafford in "1923," the second prequel in the series, she confessed that she had not been among the millions of "Yellowstone" devotees. "I had seen '1883' [Yellowstone's first prequel series, which premiered in 2021], but I hadn't dived into 'Yellowstone,' she told C Magazine. Her father, however, was a die-hard fan and she was with him when she got the call from casting telling her that she had landed the coveted role. "I think I cried for an hour straight after that," she said. 

Before filming began, Randolph joined her fellow city slicker castmates at "Cowboy Camp" where they were taught valuable skills like riding and roping to lend authenticity to their performances. "I had never ridden a horse before except for on the beach with my family in Cabo," the star told Grazia USA. "The wranglers were so patient with us, and for two or three weeks every single day we were riding." Cowboy 101 wasn't the only education Randolph received on set. She also got a master class in acting from two huge names in the "Yellowstone" spin-off cast list, Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. "I just wanted to rise to the occasion," Randolph said. "I wanted to be a good scene partner for them, but they were so kind and gracious. They also made me feel so comfortable on set that I even forgot I was working with Helen and Harrison half the time! I'm still pinching myself to this day."

In the indie comedy "The Throwback," Michelle Randolph plays a social media influencer who becomes the BFF of an overworked, overstressed, and underappreciated mom played by Justina Machado, who returns to her college-age party girl ways after suffering a breakdown during the holidays. What mom can't relate to that? The film also stars Gregg Sulkin, a former Disney star who was once the real-life partner of the "Landman" beauty. It is unclear whether or not the couple is still an item, though they no longer appear in each other's social media feeds, so the speculation is that they have broken up. 

Perhaps that would explain Randolph's comment about her "1923" character Elizabeth Strafford's romance with Jack Dutton. "Their relationship, I imagine, is like every Taylor Swift music video or cheesy love song," Randolph told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's the perfect little love story, and it was fun being able to play into that because it's not something I've experienced in my real life. It's very, very beautiful." Take that, Sulkin! 

Once you've staked your claim in a Taylor Sheridan show, there's a good chance you're part of the Sheridan family for life. The writer often uses the same actors across his projects — which may explain why some of the "Yellowstone" actors look so familiar – and Michelle Randolph was no exception. Sheridan asked his "1923" star to audition for the role of the free-spirited and strong-willed Ainsley Norris on "Landman," even though it meant that she would be filming both shows at the same time. "I had 12 hours to put 18 pages on tape, and I felt like it was my job to lose because I knew I was right for it, and I knew Taylor wanted me for it," Randolph told Town & Country. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to just really deliver in that tape." 

After landing the "Landman" role, Randolph said she realized that although her two characters appeared to be total opposites, they shared a common thread in that they were both "young women who [are] coming into their own and figuring out who they are." However, it's the energetic and "unfiltered" Ainsley that Randolph said has taught her the most. "Life is more fun through Ainsley's eyes. It's a lot brighter," said Randolph to Town & Country, adding that the character is a far cry from her own personality. "She couldn't be more different than who I am as a person and who I was at 17," she said. "I learned a lot from her in ways because I am such an overthinker and she is not in any way, and so I think some of that energy came with me and I hope it stays."