Paulina Chávez was 20 years old when the opportunity to audition for Paramount+’s “Landman” came her way. She wanted the role, but her early career had been defined by playing teenagers in projects aimed at younger audiences, including the Netflix shows “Fate: The Winx Saga” and “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love.” Now she was vying for the part of Ariana, a widowed, single mother—as well as the chance to be seen as an adult onscreen—in the testosterone-heavy Taylor Sheridan Universe.
“Having only played 16-year-olds and done comedies, to be able to explore this very grown-up role was exciting,” Chávez, now 23 says. “I never expected to hear back from them because of how young I was.”
In the end, she won over Sheridan and co-creator Christian Wallace. The Billy Bob Thornton–led oil drama starts with tragedy, when an explosion on the series premiere kills the majority of a crew of workers, including Ariana’s husband, Elvio (Alejandro Akara). The strong, independent widow soon finds herself falling for Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland), a smart and sensitive soul who happens to be the lone survivor from the deadly incident.
“Things are messy, people are messy, and it’s cool to embrace it,” Chávez says. “This is a relationship that a lot of people want, with their trust and communication. Anything that comes their way makes them stronger. I remember Taylor telling me that he wants to tell love stories that are real, raw, and not toxic, and that is Ariana and Cooper.”
Here, Chávez discusses filming a “woman’s worst nightmare” on Season 2’s penultimate episode and finding ways to be riskier in her own work.
What was your experience going through the audition process for Ariana?
It was a self-tape, and I didn’t hear back for a month. Then I got a call from my agent, and I was completely shocked. They flew me to Wyoming, and there were 10 other girls testing, and we all looked completely different. We were reading with Taylor, which was so nerve-racking. Our casting director was like, “Don’t be waiting by the phone, because Taylor takes a long time to make decisions.” Two days later, they flew me back for a chemistry read with Jacob, and then I got a call from Taylor: “I’m gonna trust you with this role.” And then the [SAG-AFTRA] strike happened.
Did you appreciate having so much time to prepare?
Right before the strike, Taylor sent me the [scripts for the] first five episodes, so I read them. But living with it for almost six months was torturous. I just so badly wanted to film because it was in me. I had the notes that Taylor had given me, I knew exactly what I was going to do, and so I was like, “I need to be on set right now to shoot this!” Especially because Ariana’s storyline is so heavy. You’re living with it, and it’s lingering in the back of your mind.
We meet Ariana in a stage of grieving. How did you tap into that sorrow without letting it dominate the character?
When I booked my first Hollywood job where I had to move to L.A., a week before I had to leave, my grandma passed away. It was such a weird time, because I was living my dream but also carrying this grief. And that grief never goes away—you just grow around it. I still think about my grandma every day. No matter what, Ariana’s always going to carry that first love. Also, she had a kid with him, and every time she sees her kid, it’s like a part of him is still with her.
When you learned of the Season 2 scene where Ariana is assaulted, what questions did you have?
As I was reading Episode 9, I didn’t know what was coming. It’s a woman’s worst nightmare. We take all the precautions: People have our locations; we’re constantly looking over our shoulders; we make sure we lock our car door as soon as we get in. And so reading it was terrifying. I had a conversation with Taylor like, “How is this going to be shot? What do you want from me?” And he was like, “All I want from you is to never stop fighting.” And that’s something that my mom has always told me: “No matter what happens, you fight until the very fricking end.” And so that was Ariana.
But stunt rehearsals were fun. I had conversations with our intimacy coordinator, and we all trusted each other so much. I’m very grateful for everybody who helped with that scene, because it was a heavy day.
Just as hard to watch was a powerful scene on the finale, where Ariana is giving a police report as an officer inspects her body and injuries.
Taylor has a beautiful way of shedding light on hard subjects. It’s so hard to make those reports, and you have to have so much proof in order to be believed. I hope that people feel a little uncomfortable with that scene because that is the reality. You get assaulted and then there’s so much more uncomfortableness that needs to happen for that to never happen again. It’s really upsetting, and something that no one should have to deal with after an assault like that.
What advice do you have for other actors?
Be risky, especially in the audition process. You audition so many times, and you get 100 nos before you get one yes, and so just do crazy stuff in your tapes. You really have to have fun with it. For me, auditions have always been so difficult, and now I have the “I don’t care” mindset in my self-tapes. I do my work, I submit it, and I let it go. I think that’s the easiest way to cope with so much rejection.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
