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Taylor Sheridan is one of the most popular filmmakers and screenwriters working in the industry now. He hit it big with the neo-WesternYellowstone, which he created and wrote most episodes of, leading him to create several successful shows such asTulsa King, Landman,and more. He was also Oscar-nominated forHell or High Water.
Before Sheridan hit it big in Hollywood and the TV industry, he was an actor and had a regular role in the showSons of Anarchy. However, he quickly grew disillusioned and decided to quit the business before pivoting to become a screenwriter. While he never planned on it, he revealed that he tried to make it in Hollywood in a different way.
Taylor Sheridan’s accidental directorial debut led him to find his true calling
Taylor Sheridanwas a rare breed of cowboy who was also a theater kid. Judging from his work on shows likeYellowstoneandLandman, it is a bit hard to imagine him as a guy who began his career as an actor and only pivoted to writing and directing after he gave up on his previous passion. He played roles inVeronica Mars, Sons of Anarchy, and more shows.
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While Sheridan considers the 2017 filmWind Riverto be his directorial debut, his first film with the credit was a 2011 horror film calledVile(viaRotten Tomatoes). The film was reportedly written by a friend of his and while he tried to get a director on board, the man who promised to do so had taken the money and did not show up on set.
Sheridan was reportedly asked to step in to help his friend and he mentioned in an interview that he used his connections to get a camera and production team to work on the film. Despite claiming that his friend gave him the credit as a thank you, Sheridan mentioned that the experience helped him find his true calling.
He also mentioned that despite knowing what to do, he decided to pursue it on his own terms. He said (viaXelot Film),
There are a couple of elegant moments [in the film] where I was like this is what I want to do. But I didn’t want to do it the traditional way. The traditional way is you go shoot a short and put it in festivals and attempt to garner some attention and hope that some agent notices…that’s a lot of hoping and I’ve been in this business a long time and I knew that was just rolling the dice. What isn’t rolling the dice is creating something tangible and a screenplay is a tangible thing.
With that in mind, he reportedly wroteSicarioandHell or High Water, both of which were sold. While he was trying toget the latter mounted,Sicariowas reportedly picked up by a producer, sent to director Denis Villeneuve, and the rest is history.
Taylor Sheridan admitted that his plan was ridiculous but it worked for one reason
Before embarking on a complete career shift, Taylor Sheridan knew one thing: it did not matter if one had a Harvard degree in literature or was a college dropout like him, if the content was good, his script would be accepted and he would taste success. Hence, his initial work showed a lot of stories that werenot often exploredin the mainstream.
Taylor Sheridan Clearly Had a Favorite on Yellowstone and Other Characters Paid the Price for His Alleged Bias
Sheridan mentioned the painstaking process of gettingHell or High Watermounted, which even though was sold beforeSicario, took reportedly years to get made. He said,
Looking back it’s a ridiculous plan that worked because I wrote about things that I care about, I wrote movies I wanted to go see, and that’s best because all the people could feel it when they read them. And so, that is how we end up here.
Sheridan has since made his actual directorial debut withWind Riverand even got nominated for an Oscar for writingHell or High Water. His show,Yellowstone, has been the most profitable series for Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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