If you want real grit and brains drilling into your TV, slide over and take a closer look at Mustafa Speaks — the guy who proves you can go from dissecting sharks to calling shots on a Texas oil rig without missing a beat. Let’s get the story right. And wild. And, let’s be honest, more than a little sweaty.
Spotlight on Boss Ramone: Derrickhand With a Purpose
Cue the siren, feel the heat — Mustafa Speaks struts across the patch in Landman like he’s been running a crew all his life. But here’s the kicker — three years ago, most folks pegged him as an ex — NFL hopeful with a laboratory thumbprint, not a TV boss barking orders over drilling mud.
So who’s this ‘Boss’ anyway? He’s Theodore Ramone, the muscle and brains on Cooper’s second crew. Boss Ramone stands out, not only as the show’s sharpest tool — pusher but as the only Black crew chief in a sea of hard hats. You can see the respect in his crew’s faces — even more so when the pipes start rattling and someone needs to make an impossible call.
How a Football Dream Bounced into the Patch
Let’s set the scene — Jersey City, 1985. Mustafa grows up in the Booker T. Washington Projects, testing out both brains and brawn from day one. At Hampton University, Speaks splits his time cracking open marine science textbooks and running cornerback routes. Yes, that’s right — this guy went from studying sharks (the literal kind) to stopping receivers cold as an all — conference defender.
Here’s where the plot twists. In 2008, after pulling off a standout senior year, Speaks earns an invite to the New York Giants’ rookie minicamp. Big dreams, bigger stage. But fate throws a mean curveball — Achilles rupture, day three. Suddenly, the NFL door slams shut and he’s got to figure out Plan B at warp speed.
That’s when California called.
Zero to Sheridan: The Hollywood Hustle
Newly grounded, Speaks makes the most of his downtime. He launches SS3D Fit Club in Sherman Oaks — yes, in the Valley, because rent is murder in Hollywood. Celebs like Jason Momoa swing by for workouts, and training clients helps cover acting classes. That’s grind you taste in every Landman scene.
Then the screen comes knocking. Small roles stack up—”Jane The Virgin,” “NCIS,” then a real breakthrough as Messiah in Netflix’s Seven Seconds. Folks in casting circles notice his ability to swing from fierce to thoughtful in a single breath. Sheridan, the kingmaker of all things dusty and dangerous, spots him next.
According to Vanity Fair (Feb 2025), Taylor Sheridan wanted “somebody who has yelled on a sideline, led men under pressure, and survived a life detour.” Basically: not a mannequin with muscles. Enter Mustafa.
Roughneck Bootcamp: Oilfield Baptism by Fire
If you think actors swing into oilfield roles just by reading lines, think again. Sheridan booked the main cast — including Speaks — straight into a roughneck camp. We’re talking two weeks, twelve — hour night shifts at Hub City Rig School outside Lubbock. No green screens, just grit.
The cast learned to throw tongs, chain pipe, and spot gas kicks. On day two, Speaks even picked up an unofficial safety captain title from Bill “Buckshot” Ramirez, a real — life foreman with calloused hands to prove it. By the end, his team chanted, “Spin it to win it,” straight from one of Mustafa’s Instagram posts. His palms? Shredded. His confidence? Off the charts.
You want real? That’s real.
Translating NFL Leadership to Rig Command
Comparing a huddle to a doghouse, Speaks says, “You’ve got six seconds to make the call.” It’s like football, except the ground might literally eat you. On the set, his old locker — room style pays dividends — both when guiding the actors and commanding the fake, and not — so — fake, chaos of drilling operations.
Billy Bob Thornton, who plays Tommy Norris, even calls him the “in — house linebackers coach.” Thornton credits Speaks with keeping the caffeinated, mostly soft — handed cast limber and loose between takes.
Why Texas Actually Feels Like Home
Now, there’s the Texas angle. Mustafa’s got more roots in the Lone Star State than you might expect. As a kid, he visited cousins in Galveston and learned two things fast: Texas humidity can melt steel, and Friday night football is a religion.
Fast — forward to 2025, and he’s loving it out west. During Landman’s hiatus, Speaks purchased a three — acre plot outside Weatherford. Plans for an off — grid smart home are in the works. Local press caught wind when his new neighbor dragged a stray longhorn off the driveway before breakfast — Texans, he swears, are “the most aggressively helpful humans on Earth.” He’s not just talking; he’s living it. That’s the kind of buy — in producers love.
Naturally, Speaks has discovered West Texas comfort food. Whataburger’s Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit gets full marks — especially at 3 a.m. after a night shoot. Mary’s Café in Strawn also makes his chicken — fried — steak hall of fame.
Season 1 Spotlight: Boss Ramone in Action
Let’s talk about what Boss actually does on — screen. In Episode 2, he hears a hiss, spots trouble, and orders a shut — in before an H₂S leak can go sideways. This isn’t just TV drama — it mirrors a real 2016 Gaines County blowout, a story writers yanked straight from Railroad Commission files.
The moral weight stacks up in Episode 4, with Boss reliving a traumatic offshore blowout from 2008. He loses his mentor, Big Mo. This plotline echoes the timeline of the infamous Macondo disaster, but with some Texas — flavored tweaks.
And if you like a good brawl, Episode 6 shoves Boss into a fight with the crew’s toughest hand, Harlan Gage. Mustafa choreographs his own stunts, and after splintering a bar table, he keeps a chunk in his trailer as a “football — sized” trophy. It’s a wink to the NFL glory days, now repurposed for oilfield chaos.
The finale? Boss Ramone risks a record — breaking well payout to keep his crew safe. He stands up to the money men. Talk about a cliffhanger — season two promises a showdown that’ll test Boss’s loyalty and leader’s soul.
Representation Where It Matters — And Why It’s Real
Let’s not gloss over it — Black leadership in oilfields hovers around 5 percent, according to the 2024 API diversity report. Boss isn’t just busting heads; he’s shattering ceilings. Speaks knows the numbers all too well from his own experiences, from football locker rooms to shark research boats. “I know the math on being the only Black face in a hardhat,” he says. “It tracks.”
This authenticity radiates through Boss’s dialogues, especially in crew pep talks. It’s not fluff. Speaks even weaves in his authorship — his self — published guide, The Mind Muscle Method, steers both his character’s and his own real — life outlook.
Landman Family: On- and Off — Screen Dynamics
Speaks didn’t just win over the Texas locals. According to Ali Larter, the show’s Angela Norris, he rewrote a crucial oilfield monologue on the fly when a sunrise forced a script switch. “He speaks drillers, but he also speaks poet,” she says.
Behind the scenes, showrunner Peter Friedlander admits, “Footage from day one looked like we’d hired an actual oil foreman and accidentally handed him sides.” Even with stars like Billy Bob and Larter, Speaks’s blend of science, sports, and soul stands tall.
Leadership Lessons from Both Sides of the Drill
Ask him what matters most on a rig, and he’ll say it’s trust. “If you don’t trust the man next to you, the ground will eat you,” he fired off to NBC DFW. Off — set, he credits cryotherapy (Dallas Cold Spot), turmeric shots, and a little cupping therapy for keeping his battered athlete’s body running. Hey, field life demands maintenance.
Not Just Acting — Living the Dream and Drilling Deeper
Between takes, Speaks leads motivational programs and leadership seminars, aiming to inspire the next generation. Didn’t see that coming? Neither did some of his oil patch costars, who now quote him at morning call.
Landman By the Numbers: Grit, Stunt Rigs, and Muscle
- 1,250 feet of real drill pipe lugged onto set.
- 14 stunt rigs used for the season.
- Over 4 million pounds of barite for the mud pits (not that anyone’s eating it).
Season one? Dramatic. Physical. Absolutely loaded with those moments where you realize TV can still feel real.
Drilling Forward: The Next Shift Starts at Sunrise
And so, here we stand: sunrise over the yard, the taste of diesel thick in the air, and Mustafa — hardhat under one arm, thinking about tomorrow’s crew meeting. Boss never clocks out, and honestly, neither does he. Texas may have given him dust, diesel, and a patch to finally put down real roots, but he gave Texas (and Landman fans) a new kind of leader — one who never stops drilling, and never stops leading.
Grab your gloves, because with Boss on deck, this show’s just getting started.
