Taylor Sheridan Reveals How He Convinced Sam Elliott to Join “1883” After Actor Called “Yellowstone” a ‘Cowboy Soap Opera’
Taylor Sheridan Reveals How He Convinced Sam Elliott to Join “1883” After Actor Called “Yellowstone” a ‘Cowboy Soap Opera’
Brenton BlanchetThu, July 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Taylor Sheridan and Sam Elliott attend the premiere of '1883' at Wynn Las Vegas on Dec. 11, 2021Credit: Greg Doherty/Getty -
Taylor Sheridan revealed how he got Sam Elliott to sign on for 1883 after he said he wasn't a Yellowstone fan
The series creator broke down his casting methods in a new interview on The Howard Stern Show
"He's one of the best we've ever had," Sheridan said
Sam Elliott wasn't the biggest Yellowstone fan when he first entered Taylor Sheridan's world.
In a new interview on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday, June 30, Sheridan explained how he got Elliott to sign on for prequel series 1883 — despite him considering Yellowstone to be a "cowboy soap opera."
"He's one of the best we've ever had," Sheridan, 56, said of Elliott, 81. "I used him in 1883. It's funny because I called him and we talked. He's like, 'I don't like that Yellowstone. That's a cowboy soap opera.' I'm like, 'You're right. I'm not asking you to be on that.'"
Sam Elliott as T.L. in 'Landman'Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Elliott, who also stars in Sheridan's Landman (which is separate from the Yellowstone universe), was first pitched 1883. The Western drama miniseries debuted on Paramount+ in 2021. "'That's the punk-rock me, throwing middle fingers at the industry and a lot of other s---, this is going to be the grown-up me,'" Sheridan recalled of his pitch to Elliott, adding that he provided him with the story he wanted to tell and the "arc" of his 1883 character, Shea Brennan.
"I pitched it to him and he said, 'That's beautiful, I'd love to do that.' I said, 'Great, I'm gonna go write it for you," Sheridan said. "He's one of the most delightful human beings I have ever met and a wizard of an actor."
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He added, "You gotta pinch yourself sometimes when you sit there and you see Sam Elliott saying your words. I have to pinch myself more to say I can honestly call him a friend."
Elliott previously revealed on a 2022 episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast that he doesn't consider himself a "fan" of Yellowstone. "I love [star Kevin] Costner. There are a lot of good people on the cast, a few of them I've worked with before," he said. "Nothing against any of them, but it's just too much like f------ Dallas or something, for me."
Elliott starred in 1883 alongside Isabel May, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and others. Before the show's premiere in 2021, he told Taste of Country and other news outlets that he thought the show "stands alone and will" despite being linked to Yellowstone. "Once it comes out, people are gonna say, 'Oh, yeah. The only connection there is that it got John Dutton to Montana,'" he said.
The actor later boarded Landman ahead of its second season in 2025, playing T.L. Norris in the hit drama, appearing alongside costars including Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton and Ali Larter. Paramount+ announced in December that the show had been renewed for a third season.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
