Billy Bob Thorntonboasts a long list of impressive performances dating back to the beginning of his career, but arguably his best one has been an often-forgotten Oscar-winner that he both wrote and directed. Thornton’s most recent success has taken the shape of one of the maincharacters in Amazon Prime’sLandman— where he portrays Tommy Norris. This role earned him a nomination at the 2025 Golden Globes for Best Performance, but it is important to recognize that Thornton has covered a wide range of genres, ever since his humble start in television.
Thornton has seen immense success on both the big and small screens, but the actor has become synonymous with crime dramas, suspenseful thrillers, as well as more psychological character studies. Interestingly, Thornton has featured in a number of animated films, includingPrincess Mononoke,which is amongthe long list of Studio Ghibli’s masterpieces. Regardless, Thornton proves he can enhance any film, even with a small part. Some audiences may be better acquainted with his antagonist in the iconic Christmas film,Love Actually. However, one project stands out above the rest:Sling Blade sees Thornton serve as writer, director, and star.
Billy Bob Thorton Does It All In Sling Blade
Sling Blade Earned Billy Bob Thornton An Academy Award
Sling Bladedebuted in 1996, and propelled Thornton into a global sensation. The thriller drama is an adaptation of Thornton’s prior short film of a similar name,Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade, which he also directed and starred in.Sling Bladeportrays the life of Karl (Thornton), a man with an intellectual disability who goes on to develop a connection with a gentleman recently released from prison.Sling Bladetackles a range of topics, including the representation of the LGBTQ+ community and serious cases of domestic abuse— which establishes it as the pinnacle of Thornton’s filmography.
Thornton is superb inSling Blade, not only because he gives a stellar performance, but more importantly because every element of the movie is impressive. Thornton showcases his proficiency in all areas here, as he writes and directs the project, too. Demonstrating the high caliber of writing,Sling Bladewon the actor an Oscar for his screenwritingin 1997, in addition to Thornton’s individual nomination for Best Actor. However, his directing is also to be commended — particularly consideringThorton’s stripped-down approach meant thatSling Blade’s shoot was concluded within three weeks. Ultimately,Sling Bladepresents Thorton’s remarkable level of artistic control and vision.
Billy Bob Thornton’s Directing Career Never Hit These Heights Again
Billy Bob Thorton’s Directorial Pursuits Received Mixed Receptions
Sincethe actor’s immensely popular directorial debut, Thornton’s directing career has failed to achieve comparable critical recognition. In fact, Thornton has gone on to earn five other directorial credits after this point, many of which have received mixed receptions.Perhaps the closest to replicatingSling Blade’s success isDaddy and Them,starring himself and Laura Dern.Daddy and Themwas filmed closely behindSling Blade, and sits at an 86% critical score on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film still fell victim to some unfortunate conditions, such as its limited theatrical release at the hands of Miramax.
Thornton has only directed one episode of television since 2012, which suggests the decline in his directorial work may be attributed to the commercial failures he experienced afterSling Blade’s immense success.
From this point,Thorton appeared to retreat back to acting and had a 10-year hiatus from directingafter his 2001 movie,Daddy and Them. Thornton’s suceeding directorial project wasThe King of Luckin 2011. The documentary focused on singer Willie Nelson, though it faced significant problems with justifying a theatrical run, as it provided sparse biological details and minimal direct portrayal of the artist himself.Billy Bob Thorntonhas only directed one episode of television since 2012, which suggests the decline in his directorial work may be attributed to the commercial failures he experienced afterSling Blade’s immense success.
