Yellowstone and 1883 creator Taylor Sheridan is well-known for his work behind the camera, creating TV shows and movies, such as the Sicario franchise, but he’s done some acting along the way as well. Sheridan got his start in Hollywood by appearing in a number of classic ’90s series, including Walker, Texas Ranger. He later went on to appear in Sons of Anarchy, playing Deputy Chief David Hale. However, Sheridan doesn’t have anything too fond to say about his — or many of the other parts he had on other shows.
The New York Times interviewed Sheridan and asked about his writing career, inquiring if he ever acted with anyone who became a mentor to him. “Honestly? My mentor was Cormac McCarthy. My mentors were Larry McMurtry and Toni Morrison and Gabriel García Márquez and John Steinbeck. All the writers who moved me,” Sheridan replied. “I’ve never taken a screenwriting class in my life.” Sheridan then shared his feelings on his past roles, confessing, “Most of the television work I did was not very good. I never had a fancy agent, so I never got to read for the really good movies. When I quit acting and decided to tell my own stories, I had kept most of the scripts I auditioned for and a bunch of them that I’d done, so I sat down and spent about four days rereading them. I told myself, ‘OK, I have no idea how to do this, but I just spent four days reminding myself how not to.’”
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Sheridan was then asked if he took anything away from the time he spent going over his scripts, and what exactly he’s “aiming for” with his work now. “I hope it will be an honest reflection of the world and will feel authentic,” he answered. “I try to write dialogue I think is believable coming from people’s mouths, but I also like it to be slightly elevated. I’m trying to make it sound a little timeless. When I write a screenplay, I try to write a book. When I shoot a TV show, I try to shoot a movie.”
Currently, Yellowstone is in its fourth season at Paramount Network, and Sheridan just debuted its first spinoff, 1883, on Paramount+. He also has the new crime series Mayor of Kingstown, on Paramount+ as well, and a reality competition series titled The Last Cowboy, on CMT. Fans of Sheridan can also check out his most recent film, Those Who Wish Me Dead, which stars Angelina Jolie and is available to stream on HBO Max.
