Billy Bob Thornton says Texas welcomed Taylor Sheridan after Hollywood setbacks

Actor Billy Bob Thornton said Texas has fully embraced TV creator Taylor Sheridan, noting that Hollywood was less welcoming to the former actor-turned-writer. In a recent Town & Country interview, Thornton said, "Hollywood wasn’t nice to Taylor. There’s something about being an outsider that drives you."

Sheridan, who spent years as a struggling actor in Los Angeles and experienced periods of homelessness, shifted to screenwriting after two decades of acting roles on series such as Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars. He recalled that his first pilot script for Mayor of Kingstown in 2011 generated meetings with major networks and agencies.

After the success of shows like Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Landman and Special Ops: Lioness, Sheridan returned to Texas, where he grew up, and acquired more than 250,000 acres of ranchland, including the Four Sixes Ranch and Bosque Ranch. Thornton added that the Texas ranch community accepted Sheridan because he is genuinely involved in the lifestyle rather than adopting a tourist image.

Sheridan now conducts many meetings on his Texas ranch and says the environment provides fresh experiences that inform his writing. He told The Hollywood Reporter that living in Los Angeles felt repetitive, whereas Texas offers daily inspiration for dialogue and story ideas.