Jacob Lofland: Career, Personal Life, and Landman Facts

You might recognize Jacob Lofland from a dusty Texas riverbank in Mud or from the scorched ruins of the Maze Runner series, but his latest turn as Cooper Norris in Taylor Sheridan’s Landman has introduced him to a much wider audience. That new spotlight brings a familiar rush of questions — about his early start in acting, whether the crooked smile is real, and what his life looks like away from the rigs.

Early life and the road to Mud

Jacob Lofland grew up in Brigsville, Arkansas — a town so small that Wikipedia notes its population hovered around 98 when he was a kid. AY Magazine reports that he was discovered at an open casting call in Little Rock, beating out hundreds of boys for the role of Neckbone in Jeff Nichols’ Mud alongside Matthew McConaughey and Tye Sheridan. Lofland has said in interviews that he had no formal acting training at the time, just a natural ease in front of the camera.

After Mud premiered at Cannes in 2012, Lofland kept a relatively low profile,appearing in a few smaller projects before landing the role of Aris in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials in 2015. Wikipedia lists those credits as the clear benchmarks of his early career, and Collider has noted that he went nearly a decade between major studio films before Landman came calling.

Landman, Cooper Norris, and the Sheridan machine

Lofland joined the cast of Landman, Taylor Sheridan’s oil-industry drama, in 2024, playing Cooper Norris — the son of Tommy Norris, portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton. Wikipedia notes that Lofland joined the series in May 2023 during production, and Collider has pointed to his performance as a breakout element of the show’s first season. The role places him at the center of the show’s family drama, where Cooper navigates the dangerous, high-stakes world of west Texas oil fields while trying to carve out his own path away from his father’s shadow.

Critics have highlighted how Lofland anchors the show’s quieter moments, bringing a grounded intensity that contrasts with the larger-than-life personalities around him. His chemistry with Michelle Randolph, who plays Ainsley, has become a talking point among fans — though the dynamic between their characters is far from warm.

In Landman, why do Ainsley and Cooper hate each other?

The fricion between Ainsley and Cooper is one of Landman‘s recurring subplots, but the show hasn’t given viewers a single, clean explanation. Based on the episodes aired so far, the tension reads as sibling rivalry compounded by their very different relationships with their father. Cooper resents Ainsley’s carefree attitude and the way she seems to float through life without consequence, while Ainsley sees Cooper as judgmental and overly serious.

Specific reasons haven’t been disclosed in top search results or official synopses, so the show is clearly holding something back for later episodes. What is clear is that Landman uses their conflict to explore family dynamics within the oil industry, where every personal grudge carries professional weight. Wikipedia confirms that the series is an adaptation of the Boomtown podcast, which means the source material may hold clues about where this rivalry is headed.