Decades ago, Clint Eastwood really set up a whole other world through his lens for the Oscar-winning critics’ favorite Western/action masterpiece from 1992, Unforgiven. Fast forward to twenty-four years later, mastermind Taylor Sheridan perfectly contributed to and continued the legacy that Eastwood created through his own commendation-worthy Western projects.
If anything, while Eastwood broke the genre by bringing about the real Western world into the wild, Sheridan further carried up the bar with his tremendous works and attention to detail in this respective genre. That said, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to claim Sheridan might as well be the real heir to Eastwood’s ‘Western’ legacy, as even Helen Mirren can’t help but admit.
Helen Mirren Acknowledges Taylor Sheridan’s Contribution to the Western Genre
Throughout her star-studded journey spread across multiple years, Helen Mirren has also earned the honor of starring in the Western genre through her hit series 1923. Not only did this give her considerable exposure in the field, but it also allowed her to realize the line that blurred the canon Western genre already established and the modern and previously left unexplored one.
Moreover, it also helped her realize how differently everything was portrayed back then and just how efficiently Taylor Sheridan, the showrunner of her series, contributed to the genre. In an interview with /Film, she candidly talked about the same, saying:
I think that the American West, as it was conquered and created, there was a huge amount of violence connected to it. And we were protected from that for many years, watching these westerns that basically … of course, you’d have gun shootouts and so forth, but it was a very romantic vision of American history.
This take, inevitably enough, somewhat changed with the vision Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood brought about for the genre through Unforgiven. But the one who further contributed significantly to it by taking it to another level was none other than Sheridan.
During the interview, even Mirren couldn’t help but acknowledge this fact as she continued to say:
I think the great thing that Taylor Sheridan is doing is really casting a very cold and piercing eye upon American history. Of course, he tells it in a very dramatic form, and there is certainly an element of romance, if you like, involved in it because they are real people who fall in love, who argue, who fight, who separate.
As fans of Sheridan’s Western lore would agree, the mastermind really brought about those depths and layers to the genre through his inclusion of arcs and stories that were previously left in the dark. This brings about a very important question: Could the Yellowstone helmer be really deemed the real heir of the Western legacy that Eastwood has established?
Is Taylor Sheridan the Real Heir to Clint Eastwood’s Western Legacy?
Over the course of time, multiple people have tried their hands at contributing to the Western genre as honestly and sincerely as feasible for them. But the genre didn’t quite get that jolt breaking its formerly set norms until the Clint Eastwood directed-cum-starrer Unforgiven came out in 1992. That one film, effortlessly, changed the view of Western in the public’s eyes.
But while the legend broke the genre by bringing the real world to terms with the real Western world by making sure not to leave out any of the violent aspects of it all, Taylor Sheridan further took the play up a notch: By introducing and putting Native American storylines, which were previously mostly ignored or not included, in his works.
This added feature makes his stories more viable and a significant contribution to the respective genre, granting exposure to the Natives. Not only does he pay sincere attention to detail and accuracy, but he also makes sure to depict the horrors as truthfully as possible. This said, judging from his spectacular continuation of the genre, Sheridan is allowing it to grow with more exposure.
With all of this being put out there, deeming the 54-year-old mastermind as being the perfect heir of the legacy Eastwood has set up wouldn’t really be an overstatement, if looking at and judging the situation with utmost honesty.
