Billy Bob Thornton said Hollywood did not accept Taylor Sheridan in the beginning, but his Texas roots contributed to his success with the “Yellowstone” franchise later in life.
“Hollywood wasn’t nice to Taylor,” Thornton told Town & Country in a Thursday interview about the “Yellowstone” creator. “There’s something about being an outsider that drives you.”
Before his breakthrough success with his Western TV series, Sheridan tried to make it as an actor. He told the magazine that he was homeless twice and lived in his car for six months.
“I could have decided at any point, ‘I’m going to go get a full-time job and I’m going to give up this dream.’ And I chose to sleep in my car over that,” he said.
He finally booked a gig as a cop on “Sons of Anarchy” at 38, but after three seasons, he pivoted to writing. It was his series “Yellowstone” that cemented his signature style and allowed him to return to his home state of Texas and purchase a 600-acre Bosque Ranch outside Fort Worth.
“I think the ranch community in Texas accepted Taylor 100 percent because he’s not phoning it in. He doesn’t go to the tourist cowboy shop and get an outfit,” Thornton said. “This is the real thing.”
Sheridan said that he has been able to produce his series, including “The Madison” and “Lioness,” among others, without going back and forth to Los Angeles. He often invites cast members to his ranch for meetings, including stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Helen Mirren.
“He said, ‘Come visit me in Texas and I will tell you the story,’” Pfeiffer, who stars in “The Madison,” said. “I spoke to Helen Mirren, and I’m like, ‘Okay, what’s up with this?’ She said, ‘No, it’s great. Go!’”
“It was quite an adventure for me, because I’d never been anywhere like that and had hardly ever been to Texas,” Mirren said. “It was quite a culture shock for a foreigner to land in that heartland.”
Sheridan is able to write and edit his series from Bosque Ranch and wrangle the horses after work.
“The horses come first, so you work the horses. Then I work on me,” he said.
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