The Real Reason You Recognize Teeter From Yellowstone
Often described as Yellowstone's newest "scene stealer," actress Jennifer Landon scored "the role of the season," according to co-star Kelly Reilly. But as the Paramount Network's newest star revealed in her meet-the-character clip, playing Teeter isn't that glamorous.
"There was a line that if they were going to get a girl, she had to be ugly or mean," Landon said, "and then they saw me somehow and they said, 'Perfect.'" Obviously their instincts were correct because, since Landon's debut at the start of the show's third season, she's become an integral part of the landscape.
As the rough-and-tumble newcomer, Teeter's unusual and debatably-Texan accent makes Landon stand out from the rest of the ranch hands. "It's phonetically written [in the script]," Landon explained. "She speaks the way her family speaks." While it's difficult to understand most of Teeter's lines — it might be best to DVR each episode so you can rewind as needed — viewers might also be struggling to place Landon's face. She's been on the sidelines of the entertainment industry since birth, but there's a reason viewers recognize the woman beneath that tough exterior.
From guest roles on popular TV dramas like House, Chicago Med and The Resident, to her days as soap opera royalty on As the World Turns, Landon has already made her mark on the small screen over the last 15 years. In fact, it's likely that she inherited her award-winning talents from her famous father, the late actor Michael Landon.
Jennifer Landon's dad gave her a job at age 5
Although actress Jennifer Landon was only 7 when her dad, actor Michael Landon, passed away, he left an indelible mark on his young daughter's memory. At the age of 5, Michael cast Jennifer in his hit TV show Highway to Heaven. Though Jennifer obviously pursued a career within the industry, her first time on-set experience did not spark a passion for showbiz. Quite the opposite.
Landon has said that child-acting gig left her traumatized. "I think that I was very nervous because I'm pretty sure that I had diarrhea...and that I was late to set," Landon told Smashing Interviews Magazine. "I think I was nervous...There were all these other kids there and acting clearly was their bread and butter. They were child actors and I wasn't. So I'm wondering if I picked up on energy from any of the other kids or whoever was there with them, like 'Here she is. She can go to the front just by sheer nepotism.'"
Jennifer added that her father wanted to "put his kid in something," and that was his prerogative. "I always say if your dad owns a deli, your first job is probably working at the deli," she said. "But it changes the scope a little bit when a bunch of other people want that job, and I might've picked up on that a little bit. I watched it not long ago, and I was like, 'I look traumatized! That poor kid!'"
Jennifer Landon won big on As the World Turns
The American frontier might be in actress Jennifer Landon's blood — her late father starred in two of televisions most famous western TV shows: Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie — but Landon took a detour on her way to the ranch when she starred in three of daytime television's most iconic soap operas: As the World Turns, The Young and the Restless, and Days of Our Lives.
Landon portrayed Gwen Norbeck Munson on ATWT from 2005 to 2008, during which time her character tackled everything from an unplanned pregnancy to a murder plot. With 502 episodes under her belt in just a few years' time, she also dominated the outstanding younger actress in a drama series category throughout her tenure with the show, winning three years in a row, according to Soap Central.
Years later, in 2012, Landon joined Y&R for 28 episodes as "cursed character" Heather Stevens. "It felt like four people in one month played her," she told Smashing Interviews Magazine. "I mean, so many people have played that Heather character that I've met two of them in completely random situations," she said. "I'm not kidding. Sitting in a sandwich shop, I'm saying, 'We played the same character!' she said.
Jennifer Landon says 'daring to suck' is the key to success
In 2017, actress Jennifer Landon joined TNT's Animal Kingdom as Amy for 11 episodes. While she found herself at the center of the show's religious themes, Landon actually knew little about its premise prior to her audition.
"I got the audition and then I watched it, not because I lacked interest in the show but because I don't have cable and I watch only about three things," she told Smashing Interviews Magazine. "But I was really into the show from the first scene even. With the character breakdown they gave me, I really felt a kinship with Amy, which was interesting. For example, I read something else today and I really felt no kinship for the project. But yeah, I felt very close to Amy."
While her time with the drama was short-lived, the star told Naluda Magazine that "daring to suck" might be the key to success. "I was someone who didn't try very much because I had a high batting average and was very afraid of failure. This didn't allow me to work and grow," Landon said. "Learning to fail is still very hard for me, and it's been at times the most freeing thing on earth. If I were to give advice, I would say, f**k talent –- just do what you want and then do it again, and again, and again. The people I know who tried and failed the most are the most successful."
We'll take it!