(This story contains major spoilers for the season finale Landman.)

After watching the season finale LandmanJon Hamm’s fate is uncertain.

Until Christian Wallace, with whom he co-created the hit Paramount+ series yellowstone park Mastermind Taylor Sheridan began a post-finale interview after confirming that Hamm's oil tycoon Monty Miller had indeed died, his heart too weak to survive another heart attack and third bypass surgery.

when with hollywood reporter As for his fate, which was sealed Tuesday, Hamm expressed his gratitude for a one-season role in the oil industry drama starring Billy Bob Thornton, based on texas monthly podcast emerging city Hosted by Wallace.

"I'm so baffled by how great this show is. It's truly an amazing thing to be a part of." fargo and morning show actor who, with Landmannow adding another memorable character to his collection. "I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I'm glad everyone was on board."

With Monty's death, the pressure to manage his oil company, M-Tex, now shifts to his oldest friend, landowner Tommy Norris (Thornton), who survived the cartel's brutal attack , and made a deal with the devil (played by). Tommy, played by guest star Andy Garcia, struggles to coexist in the oil fields with a drug cartel, and at the end of the episode, Tommy is sizing up a young coyote in his front yard.

Thornton is working with THR After the finale unpacked the symbolism of the scene and what it means for a potential second season, it seems likely given the ratings success and plans shared by the co-creators, as well as Thornton's interest in the show's longevity. possible.

Below, Hamm shares his thoughts on the finale's "pleasant ambiguity" and "metaphorical resonance," while also revealing how he thinks Monty's absence will enhance Tommy and Monty when the show potentially returns The perspective of the widow Cami (played by Demi Moore). .

***

First, are you okay in a wildfire? (Note: Hamm lives in Los Angeles.)

Luckily we are all fine. The fires don't really come to us from this far to the east, and the fires in the east don't really come to us from this far to the west. We're right in the middle, which is very lucky.

After reading LandmanThe film deals with natural disasters and ongoing fires, did playing the character of Monty give you any new perspective on what's going on in Los Angeles right now?

Yes and no. Of course, it's concrete, and something like (the wildfires happening right now) is completely different because, honestly, it's so devastating. The way fire happens in the show is much more concrete and controlled; it's a completely different thing. I've lived in Los Angeles a long time and have never seen anything like this. This is a devastating situation that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, and unfortunately, we are experiencing this. I wish you all good health. We've had a lot of people very close to us lose their homes. Fortunately, none of them lost their lives and everything can be replaced, but it will take a long time to recover, and it won't be an easy road. It puts it all in a very holistic light.

What originally made you want to play the character of Monty? Now that we know that, is the promise of one season part of the appeal?

Well, yes and no. Part of it is that my other commitments don't actually allow me to be a regular on another show. I'm glad they asked me to do it, but I'll tell you exactly what it is - it's the ability to work with Tyler (Sheridan) and Billy Bob (Thornton). The careers of these people are something I have always followed very closely. They are just at the top of their game. I knew the show was going to be great; I had no idea it was going to really spark something in the culture like it did, and this part is even better. It's always fun to be part of a conversation when you're involved in something that people are really interested in. I've had this experience several times.

Your fate was somewhat unclear in the finale, but your co-creator Christian Wallace has since confirmed that Monty has indeed died. What was it like filming the final scenes in the hospital?

These types of scenes are particularly difficult because basically you're going out and it's not fun. But honestly, the cast that I was with — Demi (Moore), Billy Bob, everyone involved — it was really outstanding. You're like, "This is an amazing group of people," and I can't imagine it being more exciting or fun. Obviously the details of working on this case are a little difficult considering you have tubes and a bunch of crap inside you, but the rest is fun. Who can be present when they die, you know? (laugh)

I'm wondering now if you've ever died in a previous role.

You know, I don't remember either. My sister texted me and she said, "I can't believe I had to watch you die on the screen." I was like, "Have you never seen that before?" And she said, "No!"

Monty's death gave Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy a big boost in season two. Thornton unpacking THR Tommy contemplates the symbolism of the coyote at the end of the finale - he says that Tommy is trying to figure out if he is a coyote, or if the coyote is now coming for him and may be staring death in the eye. Which path do you think Tommy will take when he takes Monty's job and runs M-Tex Oil Company?

I think that's one of the reasons why the show is really wonderful on so many levels: there's a delightful ambiguity to a lot of it, but it also has a metaphorical resonance. Writing works on several levels. Part of what I really love about the relationship between Billy Bob's character and my own is that we both started in the same place, and the two paths diverge severely. Sometimes this happens and it can be a really hard thing to manage. It's hard to see someone you know as a friend take a different path. Navigation is a challenge.

It's going to be a Billy Bob thing (ahead) - a heavy head with a crown, so to speak. Those are all true, and I think his journey is not just on the show but for the rest of his life: be careful what you wish for. I think he's definitely found that out with his relationship with Angela (his reconciled ex-wife, played by Ali Larter), and I think he's with his son (Cooper, played by Jacob Lofland) and his daughter ( Ainsley, played by Michelle Randolph)'s relationship does become a burden for him to manage.

We don't hear Monty giving Tommy his final words of advice. Instead, we hear this quote from Jerry Jones in a now-viral scene that I know was unscripted and came about because of Tyler Sheridan's relationship with the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. What was it like filming that scene?

This is many times. It's a lot of work and a lot of fun. Jerry is a man who lives a good life, just as he says in the story. I think that was his directive: basically, tell your story and we'll make it resonate, and that's what happened. It's a really cool way to tell the story.

Tragically, Monty took Jones' advice from his hospital bed - to prioritize his family - but never had the chance to change his life before he died.

must. It's always too little too late, isn't it? sometimes. So you go, gosh, what if...? The saddest words could have been possible.

What advice would Monty give Tommy?

This is a good question. Monty's life is about making money. I think the story Jerry told resonated with him. I think he might be imparting similar wisdom to Tommy, but they might have versions of this conversation over and over again. I think the reason Tommy works for Monty is because he probably didn't follow the advice. For whatever reason, he failed to hear the suggestion. This is also a tragedy. When you see someone become an agent of self-destruction and they can't get out of their own way.

Was this the last scene you shot with Billy Bob Thornton?

I don’t quite remember the last scene I shot; it was last February. But it was an interesting experience for me because my time on the show was very tight due to scheduling and stuff, so a lot of it was done over the phone. I remember not meeting Billy Bob until three or four weeks into my shooting schedule. Our time together was short but really fun.

Was there any communication between you, Billy Bob Thornton and Jerry Jones after that scene?

We had a nice chat afterwards. It was a long day, and Jerry Jones was probably not used to the schedule of a TV shoot, so he was probably impatient with our pace. But we got him in and out as quickly as possible.

Some viewers wondered why Demi Moore only had a small role in season 1; Monty's death gave her a bigger role, and Wallace said he and Sheridan had big plans for her . How do you think Kami (Moore) will step up in Monty's absence?

I think she probably has a lot of thoughts going through her head right now, and a lot of them have to do with how this life is really hurting her family. You're going to hold a grudge over something like this, that's for sure. You will hold a grudge. I think it could happen to her, but I'm not the one writing this. I think she was probably very angry about her husband's death and the destruction of her family. From experience, these are very difficult to recover from. Losing a parent or someone close to you isn't fun, so there's going to be a lot of debris to clean up in season two.

Viewers may be sad not to see you in season 2, but Sheridan prefers to keep his star. Are there other worlds in the Sheridanverse that you’d like to play in?

I'm really not ready to answer this question, but I do like Tyler and work for him. It was a great experience. We do have a great group of people working on the show, and that extends to the crew and everyone else. A spectacular group of people and we put on a great show. People really like it. In a world like this, that's pretty much all you can hope for. You think, okay, this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, but even so, you still pinch yourself when you get the chance to do something like this.

Another character you love, and one that's very popular right now, is your character on Apple morning showwhose ending is also ambiguous heading into the next season. Can you talk about your involvement in Season 4?

(laugh) probably not. First of all, because I don't know. I really have no idea what the schedule was for that show or what was going on, other than, again, I had the best time I could ever imagine working on that show. It was really fun, spectacular, and a great experience. Again, working with people at this level - a cast full of home run hitters - was a great experience and I'm looking forward to doing more.

What are you working on next that you can talk about?

I launched a show at Apple this past April called your friends and neighborsand has been picked up for a second season. So we'll do that in due course. There will be a lot of Hamm on screen.

You've been dealing with some intense, timely, powerful players lately. What excites you about the roles you play?

I'm lucky enough to have been in this industry long enough that people know and can trust me with whatever they want to write about. I'm a versatile actor and it's great to be exposed to a variety of things. I'm glad this is more than just a reaffirmation (mad Men's) Don Draper or whatever people see. I love the variety I can portray. That's the interesting thing.

***

Landman Season 1 is now streaming on Paramount+. Read the finale interview with Billy Bob Thornton.