James Jordan in "Landman" Season 2.
James Jordan as Dale Bradley in Season 1.
James Jordan (from left) as Dale, Sam Elliott as T.L. and Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy in "Landman" Season 2.
James Jordan as "Landman" Dale Bradley in Season 1 (L) and in Season 2 (R).

Taylor Sheridan TV universe standout James Jordan, who plays gruff petroleum engineer Dale Bradley on "Landman" and CIA operative Two Cups in "Lioness," is showing off a noticeably streamlined look.

Completing a nearly two-year journey of focusing on health, Jordan, 46, revealed a fighting fit version of the baked beans- and Pop-Tarts-loving Dale in Paramount+'s "Landman" Season 2 (Episode 2 is streaming now).

The sustained effort, overseen by a personal trainer and monitored by doctors, has led Jordan to lose about 35 pounds, from a high of 205 to around 170, he says. He doesn't gauge his success by the scale.

"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," Jordan tells USA TODAY over Zoom after a gym workout. "And I feel like a million bucks."

Taylor Sheridan brought in his family to help James Jordan achieve weight goal

Jordan, who has starred in five Taylor Sheridan series, including as livestock agent Steve Hendon in "Yellowstone," credits the TV universe creator for helping the process. When Jordan said he planned to shed some pounds, Sheridan set him up with a top-flight personal trainer: his brother-in-law, Jason Muirbrook. The two started working out the next day.

"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," says Jordan, who works out with Muirbrook three times a week. "If I'm not shooting, I'll go to the gym every day and rest on Sunday."

Food-wise, Jordan says there's no trick or gimmick. He sticks to healthy portioned meals, consisting primarily of meat and vegetables. But he has his "cheat days," especially with his fiancée, makeup artist Debra Schrey. (The couple announced their engagement on Instagram in September.)

"My fiancée is a big Italian food lover, and we'll go out for a pasta or pizza. I'm not a total prude," he says. "But I stay pretty on target. Sometimes a waiter will jokingly offer to bring me a Pop-Tart, and I'll say, 'No thanks.' "

James Jordan bulked up for 'Mayor of Kingstown'

After initially putting on some weight during the pandemic, Jordan added pounds when preparing to play prison guard Ed Simmons for 2021's Season 1 of "Mayor of Kingstown."

"I was getting to know the nuts and bolts of the character, and one Michigan prison industry person said of the diet, 'We eat meat and potatoes and we drink a lot of beer,' " says Jordan. "I was like, 'I'm going to try that.' I put on an easy 25 pounds."

It helped to play the character for a season "but that's something I won't do again," Jordan says. "Because it's been hell getting it off. But I'm there."

"Landman" Dale's noticeable weight loss has been worked into an upcoming episode, and the "Lioness" cast was floored when Jordan rolled into the set in Fort Worth, Texas, for Season 3 tactical training.

"When I showed up to boot camp, it was like, 'Whoa, who's this guy?' " says Jordan, who says the new physique is helping his Special Ops character.

"I felt Two Cups needed a bit of an edge here. These are shadow warriors," he says. "For Season 3, 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."

While it has helped his professional life, Jordan is most pleased with his own health.

"It was time. When you hit your mid-40, it's time to make health a priority," Jordan says. "I'm happy, my fiancée is happy, and walking up a flight of stairs is a lot easier."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Landman' star James Jordan opens up about Dale's Season 2 weight loss

Reporting by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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