Published June 11, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET

Paulina Chávez‘s quiet strength resonates through her Landman character. As Ariana Medina, Chávez shoulders the responsibility of portraying the tragically common story of women who have lost husbands and other family to dangerous jobs in the oil industry. Chávez praised series creator Taylor Sheridan for bringing awareness to this aspect of the business. “He isn’t afraid to discuss the nitty gritty,” said Chávez. “People live Ariana’s situation, and he wanted audiences to see that.”

Though Ariana ultimately finds love again with Cooper Norris (Jacob Loftland), she struggles as a widow and a single mother. In Season 2, Ariana leaves the security of her home and ventures into the working world—bartendingat The Patch Cafe—to gain her independence. Unfortunately, while experiencing the world, Ariana is targeted and assaulted by an unruly patron. “She learns the heartache of what it is to be a woman and be sexualized,” said Chávez. “The physicality and the emotional trauma of the assault sequence was challenging, but I was well taken care of.”

While there are a lot of complicated roles on Landman, Chávez’s performance stands out. She deftly displays the inner turmoil Ariana feels for moving on with another man so quickly after her husband’s death. She also captures the blush of new love as Ariana shakes off any doubts about Cooper or about any disproval from her community. As a single mom, Chavez portrays strength. She is willing to do anything to provide for her son. Any conversation about candidates for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmys would be incomplete without her.

Chávez spoke with Decider over Zoom to discuss Ariana’s arc in Season 2, reveal what it’s like to work with collaborators like Sheridan and Stephen Kay, and share her hopes for her character in Season 2.

DECIDER: You were recently honored at the Gracie Awards when you won Best Actress in a Breakthrough Role. How does it feel to be recognized for your work?

PAULINA CHÁVEZ: I love my craft, and I love what I do, but I never expected to be recognized. It was such a wonderful surprise. I’m just grateful. It still feels very, very surreal.

With two major shows on Netflix—The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia and Fate: The Winx Saga—you were building a nice career before Landman launched you into the cultural zeitgeist. How have you grown as an actress since starting this journey?

I’ve been training as an actor since I was ten years old. Acting is like second nature to me. I’ve learned so much from each character I’ve played. I carry a little part of each of them with me. My goal is to just keep learning. I learn from the people that I work with, by observing them. I’ve also come to trust my own intuition when it comes to developing my character.

Ariana is such an important character in Landman because her story serves as a reminder of how dangerous these oils jobs really are. Have you heard from women who’ve lost their husbands to the industry since the show has been out?

Our show is loosely based on Christian Wallace’s Boomtown podcast. In one episode, a woman tells her story after she experienced a loss similar to Ariana’s. Her words and experience really fueled my performance in Season 1. After the show started streaming, I was at a pastry shop in San Antonio when a woman approached me. She turned out to be the lawyer who represented the woman from the podcast. She told me that I’d be surprised how often families go through this and their stories are not told.

That was so powerful to me because it showed me once again what an incredible creator Taylor Sheridan is. He isn’t afraid to discuss the nitty gritty. People live Ariana’s situation, and he wanted audiences to see that. I really love the way she’s showcased because grief is different for everyone. Grief doesn’t go away, but it’s the people you connect with that help you go through it and live with it.

Have you thought about the woman Ariana was before the loss of her husband and the birth of her son?

I think she was very sheltered. She was the prom queen. Maybe she and Elvio were high school sweethearts. They might have grown up together. She married young and had her life almost pre-written for her. After he died, everything shifted. She had to summon strength she didn’t know she had to keep it together for her son. She didn’t allow herself to melt down. She couldn’t.

She’s also one of the few non-white characters on Landman in a show set in the Texas Midlands. How important is that representation? And do you feel heard on set?

It’s so important. I’m grateful to be a small representation for Latinos. Though it might be a predominantly white show, a lot of our crew members are also Latinos. I’m also grateful that I’m able to use my voice and be heard. There’s so much respect on set.

I don’t tiptoe around anything. If something doesn’t feel right for Ariana, I make my opinion known. It’s just something I’ve always done. Certain situations in the past have molded me to speak up for what is right and not be afraid to make people uncomfortable. That’s how you grow; that’s how you learn. Also, I have a great family and team supporting me.

Taylor Sheridan is one of the most prolific creators in the industry. How would you describe his creative process?

That man’s mind is incredible. He has so many shows out there and so many characters, but he’s so present for everyone. For Season 1, we were sent the scripts for all 10 episodes. He reached out to me and was like: “give me a call whenever you read all of them so we can discuss your character, your arc, and your concerns. Whatever questions you have, let me know.”

Sure enough, we sat down and talked. We went episode by episode, scene by scene together. We had a really nice creative discussion, which you don’t always get with creators. It’s such a thrilling experience for an actor. When I had questions, he answered them. If I had concerns, he eased them. I’m happy to say that continued on to the second season.

At the end of the day, it’s his vision. It’s my job to help that come to life. At same time, he allows me to give my two cents regarding my character. Taylor always makes sure that we are on the same wavelength about how we want a certain scene to come across. There is a lot of open conversation, which is really nice.

Even though he directed most of Landman, Sheridan’s frequent collaborator Stephen Kay is often overlooked as one of the pillars of the series. Can you talk about working with him?

Stephen Kay is incredible. The show covers a lot of heavy subjects—especially Cooper’s and Ariana’s story—and he really eases our minds with many things. In Season 1, Jacob and I knew we were portraying a very delicate storyline. We wanted to tell their story the right way.

Steven Kay navigated us through it all the way through the Season 1. Ariana and Cooper had a lot of ups and downs that they were going through [laughs]. Stephen was just always there to help, which made Jacob and me feel very confident. Stephen wanted to help us succeed. We put all our trust in him.

Ariana faced a lot of challenges in Season 2, but which one tested you most as an actor?

One big challenge was having Ariana go outside of the safety and comfort of home and get a job at The Patch Cafe. In Season 1, I never left Ariana’s house. In Season 2, I got to be on this big set with lots of extras and loud music as Ariana gains her independence. She’s also experiencing a lot of firsts at The Patch Cafe, both good and very bad.

She unfortunately learns the heartache of what it is to be a woman and be sexualized. She’s assaulted and has to defend herself. The physicality and the emotional trauma of that assault sequence was challenging, but I was well taken care of. We have a wonderful stunt team and a great intimacy coordinator.

Can you tell me how you worked with the team to craft that sequence? Because it’s harrowing to watch.

The first thing was getting on a call with Taylor. After we discussed the scene at length, he told me that he wanted to shoot the sequence in sections. It had to be strategic and very choreographed. We had three days of stunt rehearsal before we actually shot it. We practiced the logistics and walked through Ariana’s experience.

The first time we ran it through, it felt a bit light. We all immediately knew the scene had to be reworked. The audience needs to feel Ariana’s terror because everyone is Ariana in this moment. So, we upped the stakes. We rehearsed the punches, we rehearsed the tackle to the ground, we rehearsed the rock hitting her head . It was all very strategic.

Up until the actual filming, my mindset was on the choreography and making sure everyone felt comfortable and safe. I didn’t let myself truly feel Ariana’s emotions until the cameras started rolling. That scene is every woman’s worst nightmare. I let myself live in that moment of fear and allowed it to grow. We never rehearsed the ripping of Ariana’s shirt. That was always a thing that was going to happen on set.

Putting yourself in that situation…your body doesn’t differentiate what’s real and what’s fake. It was terrifying. I had a private tent where I could reset and get myself out of that headspace. I worked with our intimacy coordinator for aftercare. I felt very taken care of.

I’m so glad to hear that.

Our cast and crew are like family. We’re all so passionate about the stories that we’re telling because they are people’s stories. I’m very lucky and grateful to be in the Taylor Sheridan universe, because he uses the same people for all of his shows, especially the crew members. They’re there for a reason. They’re there because they matter and they care.

It was revealed that Ariana will be the office manager for the CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle at the end of Season 2. What do you hope for her in Season 3?

Ariana’s still so young. I want her to be like a Rebecca in training [laughs]. Ariana already has that badassery within herself. I want Rebecca and her to be besties and take down men together.

I personally would love to see that! Is filming for Season 3 set to start anytime soon?

We haven’t started yet, but we’ve very eager and excited to get back to it. It is summertime in Texas and, honestly, it’s for the best that we’re not shooting right now [laughs]. It gets really hot and humid. The thunderstorms over there in Fort Worth can be really bad. 



Yes, probably for the best.

Though, I’m missing my second family. I’m ready to go whenever I get the call!