Robert Redford's life-changing career advice helped Billy Bob Thornton achieve success in Hollywood.

Robert Redford gave Billy Bob Thornton life-changing advice that led to his success in Hollywood.

The actor, who is 69 years old and starring in the new Taylor Sheridan-directed drama series "Landman," had a minor role in Redford's successful 1993 film "Indecent Proposal," which also featured Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson.

Thornton recounted an on-set conversation with Redford during an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital, where he discussed his dilemma in the early years of his career.

Thornton chuckled as he recalled how Redford was kind to him, despite his limited screen time in that film. He spent six weeks on set due to the lengthy shooting process.

That's when I first met Demi," he continued. "I believe Redford brought me along - I can't recall for certain. It was probably a Newsweek or Time magazine, one of those. There was an article in there about a movie I'd co-written with Tom Epperson and starred in called 'One False Move.' The review was very positive.

He said, 'Look, have you seen this?' I replied, 'No.' He then said, 'Read that.' I sat next to him as he said, 'Keep doing that.' He added, 'They're going to come at you with offers now.' Finally, he cautioned me not to become a superhero and make money.

Thornton recalled that he advised the individual to remain in the independent film world for a while, establish a reputation, and then move on to larger projects. However, he emphasized that it was crucial to begin in the independent film world because one could easily fail with a big-budget event movie.

"That's what he said, and it was accurate."

In a 1997 interview on "Charlie Rose," actor Liev Thornton revealed that he received similar advice from another Hollywood icon when he was struggling as a young actor. During the conversation, Wilder guessed that Thornton wanted to be an actor.

"Thornton remarked, "I was unaware that waiters were actors during that time period. I didn't know the entire joke, but I asked, 'How did you know?' I thought the man was psychic or something. He replied, 'You all want to be actors.' He said, 'Let me tell you something. You're never going to make it as an actor.'""

"He said, 'This is where you need to be in the beginning because you could go out and do one stinker, a big event movie and you're done.'" — Billy Bob Thornton

Thornton continued, "I was great, thank you very much. He said, 'You're too ugly to be a movie star, and you don't look like you've been hit in the face with a frying pan, so you can't be a really great character man.'"

Thornton was advised by the "Some Like It Hot" director to become a screenwriter.

"Wilder advised Thornton to write his own stuff, play his own things, and make his own way, stating that nobody would wait for him."

Thornton, in collaboration with Tom Epperson, wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed low-budget crime thriller "One False Move," which launched his career in the entertainment industry.

In 1996, three years after working with Redford, Thornton directed, wrote, and starred in the independent crime thriller "Sling Blade." The film follows Karl Childers (Thornton), a mentally disabled man who is released from a psychiatric hospital after murdering his mother and her lover. Childers sets out to start a new life in a small town and befriends a young boy and his mother.

Robert Redford's life-changing career advice led to Hollywood success, as Billy Bob Thornton reveals.

Thornton gained notoriety after "Sling Blade" became a box office sensation and received critical acclaim. He won an Academy Award for best screenplay and was nominated for best actor. Following this success, he received another Academy Award nomination for his role in "A Simple Plan."

Thornton has won two Golden Globe Awards for his work in television, one for his role in "Fargo" and another for his performance in "Goliath." He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for his work in "Goliath."

Thornton is reuniting with Moore on the small screen in Sheridan's new show "Landman," which also features Ali Larter and Jon Hamm, as well as guest appearances from Michael Pena and Andy Garcia.

In contemporary West Texas, the story of 'Landman' follows the quest for wealth in the oil rig industry.

Billy Bob Thornton discusses the process of landing a role in Taylor Sheridan's new show 'Landman'.

The podcast "Boomtown" is an upstairs/downstairs tale of roughnecks and billionaires driving a massive boom that's transforming our climate, economy, and geopolitics.

Christian Wallace, host of "Boomtown," collaborated with Sheridan to produce a 10-episode Paramount+ series that will debut on Nov. 17.

Tommy Norris, portrayed by Thornton in "Landman," is a crisis executive at an oil company. Thornton recounted that Sheridan pitched the show to him after the actor appeared in "1883," the prequel series to "Yellowstone."

"I appeared in a cameo in the TV series "1883" alongside Taylor, and during the after-party, we sat next to each other. He expressed his gratitude for having me around and shared with me his upcoming project, titled "Landman." He explained the world it takes place in, which I was familiar with but found intriguing since I hadn't seen anything about it since the movie "Giant.""

Billy Bob Thornton discusses the pressure to make his new show "Landman" a success.

Thornton remarked that he was fond of "Giant," the 1956 Western drama featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and Dean Martin.

"Thornton stated that he believed the streaming version of "Giant" would be even more dangerous and insane, making it a no-brainer decision. Additionally, Taylor assured him that he would write the part specifically for his voice and described it as the character of a landman."

Sheridan has achieved immense success with the Western drama "Yellowstone" and its spin-offs "1883" and "1923." He is also the creator of the crime series "Tulsa King," starring Sylvester Stallone, and "Mayor of Kingstown," featuring Jeremy Renner.

During an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital, Thornton discussed whether he felt any pressure to make "Landman" successful after Sheridan's previous successes.

Thornton stated, "If a director has successfully directed 12 popular movies, it's crucial not to be the one who fails." He chuckled as he added, "You don't want to be the one who bombs it."

He continued, 'So, yeah, there is a lot of pressure because of the successes he's had with the other shows. But, you know, there's always an audience for every kind of thing.'

"Thornton added that he knows Taylor loves it and everyone who participated in it does too."