Thankful for Taylor Sheridan.
Michelle Randolph, the busiest man in Hollywood, is known for creating blockbuster hit series. Since the inception of Yellowstone, Sheridan has been on a roll, producing numerous hit shows, including 1923, 1883, Tulsa King, and, most recently, the oil and gas industry-based show Landman.
The shows Sheridan creates are stellar, and the characters and their casting are just as iconic. From Beth Dutton to Angela Norris, John Dutton and Tommy Norris, Sheridan creates compelling main characters that are strong-willed and powerful. And Sheridan is also known for carrying actors from one series universe to another. Sheridan brought the legendary Sam Elliott into Landman to star as Tommy Norris’ father, T.L., after his stint on 1883 as the wagon master, Shea Brennan.
But Sam Elliott is not the only actor who’s had roles in a Yellowstone spinoff and Landman. The up-and-coming blond bombshell Michelle Randolph has held two roles in a Taylor Sheridan show as well. Of course, many fans know and love Randolph as the bubbly daughter of Tommy Norris, but she also starred as Elizabeth “Liz” Strafford in 1923.
Randolph’s 1923 character is far different from Ainsley Norris, showing a much more refined, mature, and resilient character compared to the high schooler living in Midland, Texas. When comparing the two characters, Randolph shared with Yahoo! that she’s grateful to Sheridan for giving her two vastly different roles in the TV series.
Randolph shared that showing her depth as an actress between the two roles has helped her avoid typecasting, keeping her momentum going as she becomes the next “it” actress.
“I’m so lucky because … I feel like it would be a lot easier for me to get typecast. That happens. And playing someone like Ainsley sometimes [that is the fear]. Like, do people think that this is who I am?
But I got to film 1923 Season 1, then Landman, then 1923 Season 2, then Landman Season 2, and so I got to kind of bounce between the worlds. I’m incredibly grateful that Taylor trusted me with both those characters.”
So far, Michelle Randolph has done a great job with Ainsley Norris, and although her character plotting might not be as entertaining as Tommy’s, we are starting to see a different side of the “ditzy” high schooler. In fact, Randolph shared that she’s worked hard to add depth to her character.
“I didn’t want Ainsley to be one-dimensional, that was something I was fearful of because I think sometimes it’s easy as the young character,” Randolph said. “I’ve worked a lot at making her likable. … She’s so sincere, and she’s so genuine in what she says, and she loves her family, and so there’s so much more to her, and so much more heart to her, even if she’s had this very limited life experience.”
In the episode highlighting the death of Tommy’s mother, we see a side of Ainsley that highlights how much family means to her. When learning about her father’s troubled childhood, we see compassion that we have yet to see from her character, and the hurt that her father had to endure all those hardships growing up.
“It shows her heart, those moments. They are few and far between, but those are some of my favorite ones, because I think it just brings a groundedness to Ainsley that is needed. Because we often see her … running around with her mom, and she’s having fun, and she’s not thinking, and she says what’s on her mind. And it’s like, you know, it’s really human for her to care what happened to her dad. I hope that I get more of those kinds of scenes.”
I hope we see more of this side of Randolph’s character as the season progresses. I really enjoy Ainsley’s character as she and Angela provide some comedic relief to the show, but it’s clear that there is a vision for how Ainsley will grow, and I’m excited to see that unfold.
Check out a few of Randolph’s moments from 1923 before you go:
