Taylor Sheridan broke one of his biggest rules with the Yellowstone universe

It's not unusual for creatives to assign themselves roles in their projects. Quentin Tarantino has been involved in several of his directorial ventures, Donald Glover leads the ensemble in Atlanta, and Jason Sudeikis is the leading man in Ted Lasso. Continuing the trend, “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan took on the role of Travis Whitley in the hit neo-Western series, but that wasn't his original plan.

In 2016, Sheridan discussed his transition from acting to writing and directing in an interview with Uproxx. The creator revealed that he had no intention of getting involved in any of his projects, saying, “There are a number of people who have done that. I don't want to be one of those guys.” Then came “Yellowstone” season 1 and he continued his name by debuting his character in the episode “Coming Home”. The rest is history.

Not only did Sheridan break his promise, but he probably made Yellowstone worse. In fact, some fans claim that Sheridan ruined Yellowstone at the endclaiming that he made the once-beloved series just for her. This opinion may be a bit far-fetched, but his role definitely grew in a ridiculous way at times, even though his original reason for being in the series was understandable.

Taylor Sheridan cast herself in 'Yellowstone' because his character is a horse trainer, a lifestyle the actor-turned-showrunner knows well. At the time, Sheridan was the most suitable actor for the role, as he also trained horses for the show, so stepping into Travis Wheatley's cowboy boots was ingenious. In the past, Wheatley was only a minor player, but his presence grew as “Yellowstone” developed, and Sheridan eventually became one of the heroes of his story.

The penultimate episode of “Yellowstone” Season 5 is mostly about Sheridan's character showing off his muscles, partying with supermodels, and getting women all over him. Whitley gets the Duttons out of trouble with his sublime riding and salesmanship skills, and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) fondly recounts Whitley's involvement in the fights. The former background player is suddenly transformed into the ultimate stud and he could be forgiven for thinking Sheridan's ego was out of control.

“Yellowstone” producers defended Sheridan's Season 5 antics, saying he wanted to poke fun at an otherwise tragic season. However, since then he has appeared shirtless in his series The Lion, and he gave himself a small role in the series 1883. Also, with the “Yellowstone” spinoff “6666” currently in development, viewers can probably expect Sheridan to make an appearance on screen. along with two other familiar “Yellowstone” charactersas Whitley runs the titular ranch.

“Yellowstone” is currently streaming on Peacock.