Before Taylor Sheridan built his TV empire with Yellowstone, he was an actor on the hit FX show Sons of Anarchy. He recently opened up about why he left the series. He said the pay was so low he had to work a second job just to live. The studio would not offer him a raise and even told him he was not worth more money.
That disrespect led him to quit acting and start writing. This decision changed television history. Today, he is one of the most powerful showrunners in Hollywood.
Sheridan Made Minimum Pay While Acting on Sons of Anarchy
In the early seasons of Sons of Anarchy, Sheridan played Deputy Chief David Hale. He was a regular cast member. He appeared in 21 episodes across the first two seasons. The show was a big success. However, Sheridan was not making enough money to pay his bills.
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Sheridan revealed his experience. He said he was making “scale”. That is the minimum union pay for actors.
“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,” Sheridan said.
After the second season ended, he decided to ask for a raise. He did not ask for the big money that stars like Charlie Hunnam or Ron Perlman received. He just wanted to match what the other supporting cast members were getting: $20,000 per episode.
Studio Offered Sheridan Only $15,000 Per Episode
Sheridan approached the network to negotiate his contract. He explained to them that he could not afford to stay at his current pay rate.
“They said, ‘We’ll give you 15, and we’ll guarantee you 10 episodes, that’s all you’re getting,’” Sheridan recalled. He explained that he did the math. This was not a raise. He called it a “very unfair wage”.
Sheridan made it clear that he was not asking for a huge amount of money.
“We’re not talking about an exorbitant amount of money, especially not in L.A.,” he said.
The rejection went beyond just the numbers. It was about a lack of respect. Sheridan said that the network’s business affairs attorney made a harsh comment to his lawyer. His lawyer mentioned that kids on YouTube cooking shows were making more money. The studio executive responded harshly.
“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,” the executive said.
Executive Said Sheridan Was 11th on Call Sheet and Not Worth More
At that moment, Sheridan decided to leave. It was about more than the $15,000. He realized the studio did not value him. They saw him as easily replaceable.
“The business affairs attorney… told my attorney, ‘I know and you’re right that he probably deserves to make more, but we’re not going to pay him more because guess what, he’s not worth more,’” Sheridan recalled. The executive added, “He is 11 on the call sheet. That’s what that guy is, and that’s all he’s ever going to be”.
“My business did not respect me,” Sheridan concluded.
He decided to walk away from Sons of Anarchy. He also decided to walk away from his entire acting career.
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Sheridan Quit Acting and Became One of Hollywoods Biggest Creators
Sheridan’s character was quickly killed off in the Season 3 premiere of Sons of Anarchy. He was run over during a drive-by shooting. This allowed Sheridan to focus on writing.
“I decided right there that I didn’t want to be 11 on the call sheet for the rest of my life,” Sheridan said.
The writer made a significant career change. He decided to tell his own stories. He soon wrote the Oscar-nominated film Sicario. He followed that with the script for Hell or High Water.
He eventually returned to television. He co-created Yellowstone. That show became a massive hit. It led to a franchise with many spin-offs. Today, Sheridan is one of the most powerful creators in Hollywood. He has a massive development deal worth $1 billion. He proved the studio wrong about his potential.
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