Taylor Sheridan Says Missing Out on The Walking Dead Changed His Career

Taylor Sheridan says losing the role of Shane in The Walking Dead to Jon Bernthal helped change the course of his career.

Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Sheridan revealed he was close to landing the role before Bernthal was cast. He later joked that Bernthal "saved" him from remaining an actor, adding that Bernthal was "much better at it."

After leaving Sons of Anarchy in 2010 over a contract dispute, Sheridan decided to stop pursuing acting and focus on writing. His first screenplay, Sicario (2015), marked the start of a successful writing career. He later directed Wind River, which also featured Bernthal, before creating the hit series Yellowstone and several other television shows.

Sheridan said he has no interest in returning to acting full time and now only appears occasionally in his own productions, including Paramount+'s Lioness, whose third season recently premiered.

Bernthal's role as Shane became his breakthrough performance, helping him secure major projects such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Daredevil. Both Sheridan and Bernthal recently had high-profile weekends, with the return of Lioness and the strong release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, respectively.