While Taylor Sheridan earned popularity as an actor through two very popular series namely Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars, his talent also extended to writing which saw him gain lots of success with critically acclaimed films like Sicario and the Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water. Sheridan’s crowning glory came with the 2018 series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner in the lead.
After having created the western show, the celebrity collaborated with Hugh Dillon in the thriller series Mayor of Kingstown starring Jeremy Renner in the lead. Dillon who is also one of the actors on the show apart from being the co-creator, spoke of learning many valuable lessons and insights from his colleague.
Taylor Sheridan Was The Perfect Mentor For Hugh Dillon
After starring in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone as Sheriff Donnie Baskell, Hugh Dillon took his relationship with the director a step further by collaborating with him as a writer and creator on the thriller series Mayor Of Kingstown. The show starring Jeremy Renner in the lead role, also saw Dillon in front of the camera once again wearing the detective cloak.
The series which impressed audiences and critics in its first two seasons, will return for a 3rd season in June 2024. In an interview with Screen Rant, Dillon spoke about many aspects of the show including the complexities and nuances of his character and his relationship to the central protagonist.
He also touched upon his relationship with Sheridan from his Yellowstone days to the Paramount series. The Canadian singer-turned-actor was all praise for the Sons of Anarchy star and his influence in his evolution as a writer. Speaking of how Sheridan consistently mentored him through this process, he said,
“He’s always been my teacher; he was my coach before he was the Taylor Sheridan of the Taylorverse, and this was the first show he ever wrote. I went over to his house with a printer and said, ‘You can find the character and find the motivation. You can build the world and all of it. You can write this’. I’m from a town that had nine penitentiaries, and I’m a songwriter, so I would write these little haikus and songs.’And he coached me”
Dillon also recalled how the Veronica Mars star would constantly encourage him to follow his dreams of becoming a writer, which eventually led to him putting pen to paper. He also spoke about the organic nature of their collaboration that resulted in a wonderful working relationship with Sheridan.
Taylor Sheridan Was Clueless About Screenplay Writing
While Hugh Dillon openly credits his development as an actor and writer to Taylor Sheridan, the Sicario writer took a huge leap of faith when changing fields within Hollywood. Moving from being a popular actor to a creator behind the camera was a risky chance that Sheridan took despite having no prior knowledge about the nuances of screenplay writing.
In an interview with Four Sixes Ranch, the Sons of Anarchy actor spoke about the bold move that he made, how he handled the transition, the belief he had, and the unorthodox method he followed which ultimately gave him confidence that he could be successful in the profession.
“I learned how to screen-write by reading bad screenplays, which was basically my entire career. When I sat down to write my first screenplay, I said I have absolutely no idea how to do this. But by God, I know how not to do it. So, if I just don’t do what everyone else is doing, it’ll probably turn out okay.”
While this was a huge risk that Sheridan took and one that could have easily backfired, the writer’s passion to tell interesting and creative stories ultimately resulted in his natural flair for the written word.
Both seasons of Mayor of Kingstown can be streamed on Paramount Plus.
