5 Years Later, Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Line About A Western Icon Has A Whole New Meaning

With hits like Yellowstone and its many spinoffs, Taylor Sheridan has made himself into an icon of Western television, but he still has great respect for the genre's veterans, especially Sam Elliott. In fact, Sheridan holds the legendary actor in such esteem that he gave him a special shoutout in Yellowstone via his character, horse trader Travis Wheatley.

In season 4, episode 4, "Winning or Learning," Travis is transporting not only Jimmy but $1 million worth of horses from Montana to the 6666 ranch in Texas. Late at night, Jimmy offers to take over driving duties for Travis, who hasn't gotten any sleep on their journey. Travis replies by quoting Road House, saying, "Buddy, I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead."

Travis then asserts that the 1989 classic action film is the "best movie ever made," and references two of its stars, telling Jimmy, "When I grow up, I wanna be Sam Elliott. With Patrick Swayze's hair." The fact that the supremely arrogant Travis Wheatley would show anybody that level of admiration speaks volumes.

The Yellowstone quote is also a fun meta reference to the fact that Elliott would be starring in the cast of 1883, the first Yellowstone prequel that premiered about a month after this season 4 episode. However, in the years since, Travis's statement about Elliott has taken on an even deeper meaning.

Taylor Sheridan's Quote About Sam Elliott In Yellowstone Season 4 Is Even Better Today

"When I grow up, I wanna be Sam Elliott" became quite an ironic quote in 2022 when, the day after the 1883 finale, Elliott had some harsh words for Yellowstone when he appeared on Marc Maron's WTF podcast. Despite having starred in the first Yellowstone prequel, the Western actor dismissed Sheridan's flagship series, comparing it to the famous 1980s nighttime soap opera, Dallas:

I’m not a Yellowstone fan. I don’t watch Yellowstone. I love Costner. There’s a lot of good people on the cast, a few of them I’ve worked with before — nothing against any of them — but it’s just too much like f---ing Dallas or something for me.

Given that Sheridan is such an Elliott fan, this could have been hard to hear, but the Yellowstone creator wasn't fazed. In fact, he wanted to work with Elliott again and wrote him into the cast of Landman season 2 as T.L. Norris, the father of Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy. Appearing on The Howard Stern Show, Sheridan revealed that he won Elliott over by agreeing with him about Yellowstone (via Collider).

Sheridan said, "Sam, which I used him in 1883, it’s funny ’cause I called him, and we talked, and he’s like, ‘I don’t like that Yellowstone. That’s a cowboy soap opera.' I said, ‘You’re right. I’m not asking you to be on that. That’s the punk rock me throwing middle fingers at the industry and a lot of other sh*t. [Landman] is going to be the grown-up me. I have a story I want to tell. Here’s the story, and here’s the arc of your character.’ And I pitched it to him, and he said, ‘That’s beautiful. I’d love to do that.’ I said, ‘Great. I’m going to write it for you."

It's a full-circle moment for Sheridan, going from expressing his love for Elliott through his Yellowstone character to bringing the star himself into his actors' repertory.

Sam Elliott Is Underrated As A Western Icon (But There's A Catch)

Any Western fan worth their salt is not only aware of Elliott, but likely holds him in as high regard as Sheridan. However, despite starring in Western classics, from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to Tombstone, for over 50 years, Elliott is still underrated compared to Western icons like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, or even the former Yellowstone lead actor himself, Kevin Costner.

With his gravelly voice and signature mustache, Elliott is a definitive representation of the genre. Interestingly, Sheridan's Yellowstone quote about him isn't regarding Elliott's Western filmography, as Road House is a pure action film.

However, with its drifter protagonist, lawless town, and yes, the presence of Sam Elliott, Road House is widely considered to be somewhat of a sneaky Western — and it makes total sense why Yellowstone's Travis Wheatley would pick such a hypermasculine film as his favorite movie of all time. Meanwhile, with Elliott set to star in Landman season 3, there's still time for him to earn the Western icon status he deserves.