Actor-turned-screenwriter Taylor Sheridan gained recognition for creating and directing the neo-Western show Yellowstone. The Paramount show has been a runaway hit ever since it began in 2018. It stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton III, the patriarch of the Yellowstone Ranch, who has to deal with family drama and politics as he fights to keep his ranch.
The show gained acclaim for its depiction of traditional American life and its writing, the bulk of which was reportedly done by Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan has explored the genre and setting of the show in his other works such as Wind River and Hell or High Water. The director was reportedly inspired by his time on a Native American Reservation, where he encountered a racist incident.
Taylor Sheridan Lived In A Native American Reserve For A While
Director Taylor Sheridan broke into the industry as an actor first, doing guest roles in TV shows such as NYP: Blue, Veronica Mars, and Sons of Anarchy. However, Sheridan quickly pivoted to screenwriting and gained recognition for writing the film Sicario. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film starred Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio del Toro.
Sheridan reportedly spent some time at a Native American reserve when he was out of work and was living out of his jeep. The actor had moved to LA from Texas to pursue his acting career but slowly began to be disillusioned by the culture of the city.
According to the Guardian, Taylor Sheridan said that he wanted to find a spiritual system that worked for his temperament and hence, went in search of one that was not “white-washed”. He said to The Guardian,
“A lot of people come to Native Americans wanting something from their world. The big joke on reservations is that the white guy shows up and goes ‘I’m Native American, my grandmother is Cherokee’…They’ll take the p*ss out of you. Because that’s what everyone says and there’s nothing to disprove it. It’s one of the worst things you can do.”
The actor was reportedly fascinated by the Lakota belief in the Great Spirit but still felt like what he experienced was not enough. So, he decided to explore and then proceeded to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Taylor Sheridan Experienced A Racist Encounter
Taylor Sheridan’s works have been regarded as an exploration of the grounded reality of American lives. The writer’s works often explore themes of changing landscapes in culture, the battle between traditional life and modernism, and the lives of real people often living in rural areas of the country. The writer-director often inculcates the Western genre in his work.
He has also explored and depicted the lives of Native Americans in his works. Be it the Broken Rock Indian Reservation in Yellowstone or the Wind River Indian Reservation in his directorial debut film Wind River, Sheridan’s scripts have space for Native Americans. This recurring theme can be traced back to his time at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said that he had witnessed firsthand how the natives were treated in the country and the racism they experienced for availing basic resources. He said that because of his association with the tribe, Sheridan was refused services too. He said,
“My buddy was like, ‘You’re hanging out with the Indians. They ain’t gonna sell you s*it.’ It was the only time in my life that I’ve experienced anything close to racism. I was judged not for my race but for their race.”
Taylor Sheridan then reportedly took it upon himself to make sure their stories were heard in the mainstream. The writer mentioned that his friends at the reservation told him to tell their story and the worst of what happened with them since he had the chance as most of it was not their fault.
