“Then it would have felt false, right?”: Taylor Sheridan’s Desire to Maintain Accuracy is Next to None After Yellowstone Creator Spent 6 Months at NASA to Learn Space Travel

As an actor, writer, director, and producer of 54, Taylor Sheridan is unarguably one of the most resourceful people in the entire entertainment industry. Not only are his projects like Yellowstone, Wind River, and Hell or High Water true pieces of masterworks but pretty much all of them even feel incredibly authentic to the core, proving they have been tamed with utmost care and consideration.

That said, the genius most certainly makes sure all of his works properly maintain accuracy and are relatable to the viewers. In fact, his desire to present the most authentic content to his viewers is so intense that he reportedly even spent a stunning six months at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA to learn about space travel for the sake of one of his space race projects!

Taylor Sheridan Went to Extremes for One Project’s Authenticity

While being an actor and working on other people’s projects was something that Taylor Sheridan realized very early on wasn’t included in his special domain, he also realized that writing and bringing to life blockbuster projects was what he was actually made for. And ever since then, he has made sure to give some of the best pieces in the history of cinema.

One thing that sets his pieces apart from all the others is the way they strike the audience and relate to them. Not only have his critically commended projects been widely acknowledged and appreciated for having outstandingly immersive plotlines, but he has also earned massive recognition for developing pieces that drip with authenticity.

That being said, this special feature of his projects is inevitably what has launched him as one of the most prominent directors in the entertainment industry. Moreover, this rule isn’t restricted only to his Westerns and neo-Westerns, the way he did with Yellowstone, but is also followed to the tee for his other projects as well. Like the space race project he once worked on.

According to the details he shared in an interview with Variety, Sheridan actually spent a stunning “six months at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada-Flintridge, California.” He did this to learn about space travel and rocket design so that he could bring some critically accurate content to the table while working on his space project.

While that does sound extreme for a mere project that would have made quite a few big bucks following its release, the 1923 helmer has a very good reason for actually going to such lengths. As he shared in his interview with Variety:

If I just tried to sit down and write it and Wikipedia some things, then it would have felt false, right?

Needless to say, after realizing that he holds such a critical approach to pretty much all of his projects, it only becomes understandable just why Sheridan might as well be labeled as the ruler of the modern world of television. But while that’s that, this authentic reach has affected his Yellowstone franchise as well, especially in terms of the place.

“A sense of place is so incredibly important” for Taylor Sheridan

Continuing during the same interview, Sheridan also let out how his Kevin Costner-led neo-Western drama so immaculately displayed accuracy in terms of its place because of the showrunner’s history with Montana. That said, besides making sure one is familiar with all the feels and vibes of the genre, Sheridan also feels the tremendous need for “a sense of space.”

Emphasizing the same during his interview with Variety, the Mayor of Kingstown creator said:

For me, a sense of place is so incredibly important. When I wrote ‘Yellowstone,’ I went to Montana. Now, I lived up in that area for many, many years, so I knew it very well.

That perfectly explains just how the drama fits in so immaculately in nearly all of its aspects.

All of this being said about the lengths he went to for his space saga and the incredibly critical and thoroughly careful approach he held while developing his projects just to make sure the audience could relate to them, it becomes only understandable that Sheridan’s dedication to his projects is next to none, further proving why he is one of the most respected people in the industry.

You can stream Yellowstone on Peacock.