Taylor Sheridan first established himself as a talented Hollywood actor then slowly transitioned towards writing. Turns out, he’s equally good at writing as well as he earned numerous awards and nominations for his screenplay in several movies.
With a successful career in acting as well as writing, Sheridan has showcased his talent time-to-time with the content he delivers. The actor once revealed that no actor was able to play a complex character he wrote, so he had to take the matter into his own hands by playing the role himself in this iconic 2016 movie.
Taylor Sheridan played a complex character in 2016’s Hell or High Water
2016’s Hell or High Water is often considered one of Taylor Sheridan‘s best works. The actor earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work in the film. In a 2016 interview with Uproxx, Sheridan revealed that he had to star in the movie because no actor could was able to play the character he wrote,
“I quit [acting] after Sons of Anarchy. I played a role in Comancheria because I wrote this fricking big-a** monologue for a day player and then we couldn’t find a day player who could do it and ride a horse at the same time. So I said, screw it, I’ll do it. So I’m on screen a little bit in that one.”
Comancheria was initially the name for the movie but it was retitled to Hell or High Water. For his work in the movie, Sheridan earned BAFTA, Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award nominations.
What inspired 2016’s Hell or High Water?
Hell or High Water acknowledged the theme of economic struggle and puts a spotlight on middle-class citizens. In a 2016 interview with TheWrap, Sheridan explained the idea behind the film,
“We just went through the election, it was a pretty painful one, and the country feels more polarized and more torn apart than before – there’s so much apprehension. I’ve heard people say Hell or High Water is the voice of this frustrated, forgotten middle class. I thought it would be unifying, and I think it can [help us] recognize, ‘Oh wow, poor is just poor, and corporate greed is corporate greed. Look how similar we are.'”
The film featured stars like Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey, and Jeff Bridges. It managed to earn positive reviews from the critics as well as the audience and also grossed roughly $37 million on a $12 million budget. The film bagged four Oscar nominations in total: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Bridges), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.
Source: Uproxx
