Before creating Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan made the unexpected decision to leave both Sons of Anarchy and his acting career behind. The creator has now reflected on the circumstances that led to that choice, revealing how a disagreement during his time on the FX drama changed his career path. Sheridan also explained why he ultimately decided that writing was the path he wanted to pursue.
Taylor Sheridan on why he left Sons of Anarchy and quit acting
Taylor Sheridan has shared the reason behind his decision to leave Sons of Anarchy. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Sheridan recalled that the issue surfaced after the second season of Sons of Anarchy. Although the series had become a successful cable drama, he said his salary remained at the same scale, forcing him to work a second job to make ends meet.
The creator said that he requested the reported $20,000 salary being earned by other supporting series regulars. According to him, the network instead offered him $15,000 with a guarantee of only 10 episodes.
“They couldn’t do it. We’re not talking about an exorbitant amount of money, especially not in L.A. 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,'” he shared.
Sheridan said the exchange made it clear that continuing as an actor was no longer the right path for him. “My business did not respect me,” he said, adding that he decided to leave the series rather than return under those terms. His character, Deputy David Hale, was subsequently written out in the Season 3 premiere.
Reflecting on the decision years later, Sheridan said, “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.”
Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on ComingSoon.
