“It’s not very financially rewarding”: Taylor Sheridan Felt He Didn’t Deserve the Same Opportunity the Likes of Kevin Costner Got as an Actor

Taylor Sheridan has been in the biz since ’95, dipping his toes into acting, only to realize he was paddling in someone else’s pond.

Some of us are born in the spotlight, and some of us build it brick by brick. That’s the thought that danced in our heads the first time we heard Taylor Sheridan talk about his journey from the sidelines of Hollywood to the frontlines of storytelling. We’ve always admired people who call a spade a spade, and Sheridan didn’t just do that; he tossed the whole deck and rewrote the rules.

He’d been in the biz since ’95, dipping his toes into acting, only to realize he was paddling in someone else’s pond.

His roles weren’t paying the bills or feeding his creative fire. And instead of waiting for a seat at the table, he carved his own chair and wrote the damn menu – Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River, and a Yellowstone universe that even Kevin Costner couldn’t ignore. Sheridan didn’t whine. He worked. And his fans respect the hell out of that.

Taylor Sheridan’s U-turn after Sons of Anarchy

Taylor Sheridan in Sons of Anarchy | Credit: FX
You know that feeling when you’re wearing someone else’s shoes and they just don’t fit, no matter how many steps you take? That’s exactly what Taylor Sheridan was wrestling with when he walked away from his role as Deputy Chief David Hale in Sons of Anarchy.

After three seasons, he hit the brakes on acting and took a left turn, straight into the world of screenwriting. In a refreshingly honest moment with Interview Magazine, Sheridan confessed:

I decided after I quit Sons of Anarchy… The idea of Sicario had been swimming in my head… When I quit the show I was able to do some traveling and research… and then sit down and try to figure out how to tell it.

That’s no stroll through Central Park; it’s a tightrope walk without a net. But it paid off. Because once Sheridan picked up the pen, he stopped playing by Hollywood’s rules and started writing his own. Literally!

What’s even more impressive is the lack of bitterness. Sheridan didn’t walk away because the industry was unfair or unkind. He walked away because he was honest enough to admit he wasn’t climbing the same ladder as the greats and humble enough to say,

I didn’t get them because I didn’t deserve them.

That kind of brutal self-awareness? That’s rare currency in showbiz.

Actors who got the spotlight while Taylor Sheridan lit his own stage

Taylor Sheridan in Sons of Anarchy | Credit: FX
Taylor Sheridan knew he wasn’t exactly the big cheese in the acting world. While others were sitting pretty with lead roles and red carpet accolades, he was stuck in the shallow end, swimming with bit parts and background dialogue. He could see the writing on the wall: no matter how hard he hustled, he wasn’t going to be handed the golden ticket like other acclaimed actors. To quote him (via Interview Magazine):

I was definitely unfulfilled. You look at some of the great actors of the past 15 to 20 years, and I didn’t get those same opportunities. I didn’t get them because I didn’t deserve them, so that’s not me complaining.

When Sheridan mentioned “the great actors of the past 15 to 20 years”, we didn’t need a crystal ball to know who he meant. These are the names that dominate every major awards list, the faces etched into pop culture. Yes, he was talking about people like Kevin Costner, who didn’t just appear in Yellowstone; he embodied it.

I recognized that, This is what I am as an actor and it’s not artistically fulfilling and it’s not very financially rewarding, so I’m going to find another way to storytell.

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone | Credits: Paramount
Sheridan’s creation gave Costner a Western rebirth, and Costner gave it gravitas in return. As for his exit from Yellowstone, well, it certainly wasn’t as serene as a sunset over the Dutton ranch! Turns out, the drama behind the scenes is a lot more heated than anyone could have imagined.

Then there’s Leonardo DiCaprio, the man who doesn’t just act; he evaporates into every role. From playing dream thieves to Wall Street wolves, the actor didn’t just ride the Hollywood wave, he helped shape it. Sheridan saw that kind of trajectory and recognized it wasn’t his own.

Then, Denzel Washington has long been the kind of actor who can deliver Shakespeare or street justice without missing a beat. What about Tom Hanks? He’s the human warm blanket of Hollywood. Sheridan knew these actors weren’t just lucky… they were legacy-builders. But instead of envying them, Sheridan owned it.

He flat-out said he didn’t deserve those top-shelf roles because, in his eyes, he hadn’t earned his stripes. No sour grapes, no finger-pointing. Just an honest reckoning. Ergo, let’s call it what it is: Sheridan wasn’t cut from the same cloth as those heavyweights not in front of the camera, at least. But instead of trying to wear a costume that didn’t fit, he picked up a tailor’s needle and started stitching his own legacy behind the scenes.

Sons of Anarchy is now streaming on Hulu (US).