Taylor Sheridan finally reveals why he quit 'Sons of Anarchy': 'My business did not respect me'
Taylor Sheridan fans know that he tried his hand at acting before finding success as a writer and director. The 56-year-old recently reflected on his unsuccessful acting career during his interview with Howard Stern on the 'Howard Stern Show' on Tuesday. Before creating the billion-dollar media franchise 'Yellowstone,' Sheridan worked as a journeyman actor, appearing in guest roles on shows like 'Veronica Mars,' 'Party of Five,' and 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' among others. He thought that he had found his big break when he landed the recurring role of Deputy David Hale on FX's motorcycle drama 'Sons of Anarchy' in 2008. The drama series, created by Kurt Sutter, was a runaway success, with Sheridan appearing in 10 episodes each season during the first two installments.
However, the pay was not enough for him to survive, so he had to take up a second job to cover his expenses. He told Stern, "I've taken my beatings. The worst beating, which is also the greatest gift that I ever got, season 2 of Sons of Anarchy had ended, it's a very successful cable show, [and] I'm an actor making scale. I'd literally leave the set and go to my other job, because I didn't make enough on that show to pay my rent and live. So, after season 2, I told them, 'Guys, I'm not coming back and doing this again for this price.'" Sheridan then demanded a pay rise for the third season and shared that his request for $20,000, which was the standard fee for supporting series regulars at the time, was denied.
He recalled how the salary negotiations went by saying, "They said, 'We'll give you 15, and we'll guarantee you 10 episodes, that's all you're getting.' I do the math, and I said, 'That's not a raise. No.' My attorney responded to this business affairs guy, 'I've got kids on cooking shows on YouTube that make more than that,' and he goes, 'Then the guy should go get a cooking show on YouTube. We just don't have to pay him because there's 50 of that dude; I can recast him tomorrow.'" Sheridan came to a painful realization and said, "My business did not respect me." He then decided to quit the show, and his character arc on 'Sons of Anarchy' ended in the Season 3 premiere episode, which aired in September 2010. In the episode, Hale died after being run over during a drive-by shooting.
He also spoke to Stern about how he began screenwriting. "Call it pride or ego or integrity, but I just realized I've maxed out what I can do as an actor in this industry. So I'm not going to try to do it anymore. And the people who have all the power are the people telling stories, so I'm going to tell my own stories. That's when I decided that I was going to write." He found immediate success in his new role as he wrote his first screenplay for Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-nominated thriller 'Sicario' (2015) and followed it up with 'Hell or High Water' and 'Wind River' to conclude his American Frontier trilogy. A few years later, he found success again when he created, wrote, and directed the neo-Western drama 'Yellowstone' for Paramount+. In addition to his behind-the-scenes work, Sheridan kept his passion for acting alive by playing small roles in his own shows. He played Travis Wheatley in 'Yellowstone,' Cody Spears in 'Lioness,' and Charles Goodnight in '1883.'
