Prolific television creator and producer Taylor Sheridan has revealed that he took a break from acting after receiving several “beats” throughout his career.
On Tuesday’s episode of “The Howard Stern Show,” Sheridan said his “worst treatment” came when he played local police chief David Hale on “Sons of Anarchy,” which aired on FX for seven seasons from 2008 to 2014.
The “Yellowstone” creator, 56, explained that “Sons of Anarchy” was a “very successful cable show,” but that after filming the series, “I was literally going to quit the set and go get another job because I wasn’t making enough money on that show to pay rent and live on.”
Sheridan appeared in the biker drama’s first two seasons, but received far less pay than his castmates, such as Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman.
He asked for the same $20,000 per episode that series regulars receive, but said, “They couldn’t do it.”
Sheridan told Stern, “We’re not talking about an exorbitant amount of money, especially not in Los Angeles. They said, ‘We’ll give you[$15,000]and we’ll guarantee you 10 episodes, and that’s all you’re going to get.'” I did the math and said, “That’s not a raise.” no. ”
Mr Sheridan claimed his lawyer told him: “There’s 50 of those guys, so you don’t have to pay. You can recast him tomorrow.”
After Season 2 ended, Sheridan, who felt slighted, told the network, “‘Guys, I’m not going to come back and do this again for this price.'”
So, in the Season 3 premiere of Sons of Anarchy in 2010, Hale was hit and killed by a car during a drive-by shooting.
Fortunately for Sheridan, his fortunes have changed dramatically in recent years.
After writing the Oscar-nominated film Sicario in 2015, he created the American neo-Western television series Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner. It aired for five seasons from 2018 to 2024.
Sheridan currently serves as showrunner on several hit TV shows starring big-time movie stars, including The Landman with Billy Bob Thornton and Madison with Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer.
It was also reported that Sheridan would leave Paramount in October 2025 to join NBC Universal in a deal worth $1 billion.
And as far as acting goes, Sheridan hasn’t forgotten all about it, as he has appeared in front of the camera in bit parts in some of his own shows, including “Yellowstone” and “The Lioness.”
In Season 5 of Yellowstone, he wrote the role of a horse trainer who dated Bella Hadid.
“Call it pride or ego or integrity, but I realize now that I’ve done the best I can as an actor in this industry,” he told Stern.
“So I’m not going to try to do that anymore. And I’m going to tell my own story, because it’s the storytellers who have all the power. That’s when I decided to write.”
In another recent interview on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Sheridan lambasted studio executives for “knowing nothing” and delivered a scathing message to his critics: “Fuck them, to be honest.”
