Not long ago, Michelle Randolph was a relatively unknown actor. Now, she’s one of the MVPs of the Taylor Sheridan universe. The “Yellowstone” co-creator initially tapped her to play the devoted Elizabeth Strafford on the prequel series “1923” opposite Hollywood icons Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. He then cast her on “Landman” as Ainsley, the rebellious teen daughter of oilman Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton).
“It was this crazy blur,” Randolph says of her meteoric rise. “The whole time I kept being like, This is too good to be true.” With the second season of “1923” hitting Paramount+ on Feb. 23, the actor reflects on her career so far.
1. “1923” was your first major project. How did you handle being thrown into the deep end?
What helped so much was that we did a cowboy camp when I first got to Montana. That made everyone so much more comfortable walking onto set. My first day filming was a big shootout, and then Harrison’s [character] seemingly dying on the table. There was no warmup. When you’re on one of Taylor’s sets, you just have to rise to the occasion. And when you’re acting opposite true legends, you just have to convince yourself you’re meant to be there, because it’s sink or swim.
2. What has it been like to bounce back and forth between “1923” and “Landman”?
The different time periods [help me to] separate the characters. Yes, Elizabeth and Ainsley are both young women, but they handle themselves so differently. Thankfully, I had about two months between “Landman” and the second season of “1923,” so I was kind of able to put Ainsley away. But for a minute there, I felt like every time I tried to read a “1923” script, I had an accent, because I was just so used to reading “Landman” scripts and speaking in Ainsley’s accent. I called my acting coach and I was like, “I think I have to have Ainsley’s accent in ‘1923,’ because I don’t know how to get rid of it right now!” [Laughs]
Michelle Randolph on “Landman” Credit: Ryan Green/Paramount+
3. Is it difficult for you, as an adult, to get into the headspace of the 17-year-old Ainsley?
My personality is so different from Ainsley’s; I was never that way, even when I was 17. So I just really focus on trying to humanize her and figure out: OK, what kind of person says or does these things, whether they’re 17 or not? Getting to enter that youthful energy again was so fun and freeing, and I never want to lose that excitement for life. It was really contagious to see the world through Ainsley’s eyes. The things I was able to get away with were incredible, and people don’t [usually] get the chance to do that.
4. What’s your worst audition horror story?
I went in to audition for “This Is Us,” and I completely forgot my lines. I knew them, but because I was so nervous, my mind just went fully blank, and I left crying. While it’s only happened once, it’s stuck with me. So I always feel like: Oh, my gosh, if I get nervous enough, this is going to happen again!
5. How have you evolved as an actor over the last few years?
I have even [worse] impostor syndrome. But I’ve developed confidence, too, because I’ve worked with some of the most incredible actors and people in the industry, and I’ve been able to seek advice from them. That feeling of being an impostor never goes away—but knowing that someone at the peak of their career can also feel that way, I’m nicer to myself than I ever was before.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
This story originally appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of Backstage Magazine.
