Taylor Sheridan may not have much to show for his acting career, but as a writer, producer, showrunner and director, he more than makes up for what he lost while toiling away as number 11 (maybe) on the filming list. His incredibly rapid and stunning rise in Hollywood was not marked by luck, but by genius and sheer willpower.
Sheridan’s successful career as a creator of Yellowstone and its spin-off universe, a host of shows at Paramount, and 4 major Hollywood films effortlessly make it one of the entertainment industry’s most profitable assets. But what really makes it stand out, even amidst the masses of creative talent and abundance of content, is its self-earned reputation in an era defined by power, influence, and nepotism.
Taylor Sheridan redefines the term “comeback”
While toiling under the radar and out of the spotlight for two decades, Taylor Sheridan unknowingly developed a skill that later made him the center of attention in Hollywood and the most sought-after star of every major studio in town.
As a former dissatisfied employee of FX Sons of AnarchyIt came to a head when Sheridan (as an actor) demanded a more substantial role as Sheriff David Hale in the series and a higher salary from the producers. Taylor Sheridan was laughed at. David Hale was killed in a maneuver that was considered “F–k you, car accident.”
And so, at the ripe old age of 38, the secretly gifted screenwriter and director began his meteoric rise in the industry that had rejected him for being too ambitious. First came Sicario This was followed by his Oscar-nominated role as author of Hell or high waterThe riskier third venture, Wind Riverpassed into Yellowstone, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Taylor Sheridan reveals the secret recipe for success
In his New York Times Profile interview, the Yellowstone The creator described his journey as a screenwriter as something quite extraordinary. When asked if Sheridan met a mentor before setting out on his own as a screenwriter, he replied:
Honestly? My mentor was Cormac McCarthy. My mentors were Larry McMurtry and Toni Morrison and Gabriel García Márquez and John Steinbeck. All the authors who moved me. I have never taken a screenwriting class in my life.
Most of my TV appearances weren’t that good. I never had a great agent, so I never got to audition for the really good movies. When I quit acting and decided to tell my own stories, I had kept most of the scripts I’d auditioned for and a lot of the ones I’d written. So I sat down and spent about four days re-reading them. I said to myself, “OK, I have no idea how to do this, but I’ve just spent four days remembering how not to do it.”‘
Armed with nothing but the urge to tell stories for anyone who would listen, Taylor Sheridan set out on a journey to bring something real to the world of entertainment television. He revealed about his approach to writing:
I hope it will be an honest reflection of the world and feel authentic. I try to write dialogue that I think sounds believable coming from people’s mouths, but I also like it to be a little more elevated. I try to make it sound a little timeless. When I write a screenplay, I’m trying to write a book. When I make a TV show, I’m trying to make a movie.
While “honest,” “authentic,” “upscale,” and “timeless” rarely sound like a possible combination in today’s socio-cultural atmosphere, Taylor Sheridan has managed to Sicario, Yellowstone, Wind RiverAnd Mayor of KingstownThese projects have revealed a darker side of the world that most of us want to shield ourselves from, but without being pedantic about the subject – a trick that most filmmakers should learn to master.
Yellowstone is available to stream on Paramount+
