“I didn’t get them because I didn’t deserve them”: Taylor Sheridan’s Badass Response to Walking Away from Acting, Quit a Legendary Show to Become a Director Instead

Taylor Sheridan has been part of the industry since 1995, having worked as an actor, writer, producer, and director. After being an actor, Sheridan realized that this was not the field for him, and started venturing into other avenues – mainly writing and directing.

Since then, he has written and directed many acclaimed movies and TV shows. From the Oscar-nominated movie Sicario (2015) to Hell Or High Water (2016) to Wind River (2017), he wrote the screenplay for each, and even directed the last. And now he is working on a few equally acclaimed TV shows like Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and 1923.

Taylor Sheridan Quit Acting to Become a Director

Before he ventured into the land of direction, Taylor Sheridan was an actor doing small roles here and there. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that he got to play some major characters in shows like Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy.

Sheridan played Deputy Chief David Hale in Sons of Anarchy, nicknamed Captain America. But after 3 seasons, Sheridan left a regular gig to dip his toes into writing and directing. In a conversation with Interview Magazine, Sheridan was once asked when he decided to start writing, to which he said:

“I decided after I quit Sons of Anarchy. It had been germinating for about a year. The idea of Sicario had been swimming in my head. I had not figured out what it was exactly, but it had begun. When I quit the show I was able to do some traveling and research and find that, and then sit down and try to figure out how to tell it.”

Well, his decision to quit acting and get into writing and directing seems to have been in his and his fans’ best interest, and we got to enjoy some of the best movies and TV shows of this time.

Taylor Sheridan Felt Unfulfilled as an Actor

Taylor Sheridan was not happy being an actor, which was evident in his decision to quit acting. He said that he didn’t get the opportunities many of his peers did, but he is not upset about that. He didn’t get them because he didn’t deserve them, so he has no regret about it.

“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.”

He further added:

“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.’”

Sheridan’s storytelling has helped him become one of the most popular names in the industry. His shows are getting a lot of positive response from the audience.

His created Mayor of Kingstown, is ready to premiere its third season, starring Jeremy Renner, from June 3.