Taylor Sheridan worked in the film and series industry long before the start of Yellowstone and was primarily seen as an actor in various projects. Sicario was Sheridan’s first project in 2015, with the Texan native serving as screenwriter. This starting signal was to be followed by a steep career behind the camera, which produced and still produces numerous series and films beyond the Yellowstone universe.
In his transition from actor to filmmaker, Sheridan laid down an iron rule – which he broke several times in Yellowstone.
Taylor Sheridan wrote herself as a character in Yellowstone despite her own rules
As Sheridan explained in a 2016 interview with Uproxx, he had no intentions of writing himself into any of his projects at the time, despite his past as an actor:
There are a lot of people who have done that. I don’t want to be one of those guys.
In 2018, the first season of Yellowstone finally premiered in the USA – and Sheridan debuted in the role of horse trader Travis Wheatley already in the fifth episode. The series creator was seen in a total of 12 episodes over the course of the western series and played a significant role, especially in the series finale, which was criticized by many fans.
For Sherdian, his own casting reportedly came organically and for reasons of authenticity. The series creator owns two ranches in Texas and grew up next to one of them. His professional knowledge of dealing with horses ultimately persuaded him to take on the role of Travis himself, as he explained to CBS Sunday Morning:
All the horses in our industry are terrible. They’re not broken in, they’re not really safe, so you don’t see actors riding them very often. I didn’t want to do it like that so I bought all the horses for the series and taught the actors how to ride.
Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone role was criticized by fans in Season 5
As horse trader Travis, Sheridan provides John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his ranch with advice and support over the course of the series. Sherdian often shows his skills in handling horses, which reach new heights at the end of season 5. As Travis, Sheridan not only shows off tricks, he also stages himself as the scantily clad savior of the ranch alongside supermodels cast specifically for this purpose.
Fans reacted angrily to this excessive self-dramatization, which, according to them, even damaged the series. Not everyone welcomes the prospect of seeing Sheridan again as the owner of the Four Sixes Ranch in the planned spin-off series Yellowstone: 6666.
After further appearances on his part in the spin-off 1883 and the series Lioness, also written by him, in which he is repeatedly seen without a shirt, his intentions can now be questioned with a clear conscience.