James Jordan came back for season two of Landman new and improved.
The Landman actor has become a mainstay of the Taylor Sheridan TV universe, starring as petroleum engineer Dale Bradley on the Texas-based drama, as CIA operative Two Cups in Lioness, as livestock agent Steve Hendon in Yellowstone, and in two other Sheridan series.
However, for season two of Landman, which is currently airing, the Wind River actor showed up with a slimmer look, one that he has been working on for almost two years.
James, 46, speaking with USA Today, opened up about how focusing on his health and fitness in recent years has led him to lose about 35 pounds, from a high of 205 to around 170. "I'm right where I need to be for my size and the characters I play. I'm following my diet and sticking to the things I promised to do," he shared, emphasizing: "And I feel like a million bucks."
Taylor was a huge help in supporting him through his health and fitness journey, including while on set, and enlisted his own brother-in-law Jason Muirbrook as his personal trainer.
"The first thing Jason said to me was that this would be baby steps. Working with someone who knows this is a marathon, not a sprint, is the best thing I could have done for myself," James, who works out with the personal trainer three times a week, recalled.
"If I'm not shooting, I'll go to the gym every day and rest on Sunday," he shared.
As for his food regimen, he doesn't complicate things, simply sticking to eating lots of protein and vegetables, save for on "cheat days." He said his fiancée Debra Schrey is "a big Italian food lover," and noted: "We'll go out for a pasta or pizza. I'm not a total prude."
Still, he maintained: "I stay pretty on target. Sometimes a waiter will jokingly offer to bring me a Pop-Tart, and I'll say, 'No thanks,'" referring to his Landman character's affinity for the sugary breakfast treat.
Not only has James' weight loss been incorporated into an upcoming Landman episode, but he says he left his Lioness co-stars, who include Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña, shocked when he arrived to film season three (for which there is no release date yet) and to work on tactical training.
"When I showed up to boot camp, it was like, 'Whoa, who's this guy?'" he shared, adding of his character: "I felt Two Cups needed a bit of an edge here. These are shadow warriors."
"For season three, I found the physicality I needed. It's been a progression, but I feel like, boom! I'm in the best shape I've been in," he further gushed of his transformation, adding that it "was time" to make his health a priority. "I'm happy, my fiancée is happy, and walking up a flight of stairs is a lot easier."