Taylor Sheridan’s hit TV series, Yellowstone, aired its finale just a few months ago, and fans of the Western series who are already feeling its loss should check out the Clint Eastwood movie that inspired it. Since Yellowstone‘s premiere in 2018, Taylor Sheridan has expanded his Western empire, becoming the foremost name in the genre. Following the original series’ conclusion, Sheridan has several Yellowstone spinoffs in the works that will ensure that the Dutton’s universe will remain popular for years to come.

Even beyond Yellowstone and its direct spinoffs, Sheridan has several other shows and movies that are very clearly inspired by Western classics. While Western shows had waned in popularity over previous decades, Sheridan helped bring them back, and he had some very clear inspiration from another Western legend. Before Sheridan made his mark on the genre, Clint Eastwood had long been the name that many ᴀssociated with Westerns, so it feels very fitting that one of his films inspired Yellowstone‘s creation.

How Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Was Influenced By Clint Eastwood

Eastwood’s Westerns Are More Subversive Than The Genre’s Early Films

Clint Eastwood’s Western movies have been influential on the genre for decades, and Sheridan has cited Unforgiven as a particular inspiration. Unforgiven follows an aging outlaw named Will Munny (Eastwood) as he decides to go after one last bounty to save his farm and take care of his children. Though Will is a talented enough marksman to ensure that he can get the bounty, Unforgiven is actually much more focused on the toll that his past actions and profession have taken on him, often giving the film a somber tone.

Now that Unforgiven is streaming on Paramount+, it is certainly worth watching to understand just how much Taylor Sheridan was inspired by the movie. Just as Eastwood’s Will Munny is a very morally gray character, so too are many of the characters that Sheridan created for Yellowstone. In a profile for The Atlantic in 2022, Sheridan stated that Unforgiven “let the sheriff be a bully and the hero be this drunken, vicious killer,” while highlighting how this nuance also runs through Yellowstone‘s characters.

Indeed, many traditional Western shows and movies presented the American West as having very clear black-and-white, good guys versus bad guys narratives. Real life is much more complicated, and Unforgiven is a very good example of the genre at its most complex and reflective. The characters of Yellowstone, particularly the Dutton family, face the consequences of their actions in a way that takes inspiration from the message of Eastwood’s movies – the line between good guys and bad guys is often not so straightforward.

Yellowstone Even Used The Iconic Theme From Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven

“Claudia’s Theme” Can Be Heard In Yellowstone Season 1, Episode 6

Beyond taking inspiration from Unforgiven‘s themes and morally complex characters, Taylor Sheridan’s other inspiration that comes from the film is even more apparent. Sheridan used “Claudia’s Theme” from the end of Unforgiven during the first season of Yellowstone. “Claudia’s Theme” can be heard in Yellowstone season 1, episode 6. The emotional theme music fits perfectly with the stunning visuals of the Yellowstone ranch and creates a contrast with the emotional turmoil of the characters.

Eastwood had never let anyone use the song before, and Sheridan shared with Cinema Blend that he initially approached the famed actor-director thinking that nothing would come of it. Sheridan highlighted once again that Unforgiven was the film that made him want to become a director and that the scene was essentially “a 90-second homage to Clint Eastwood.” Sheridan ended up shooting the clip and sending it to Eastwood, who miraculously approved, allowing Yellowstone‘s audiences to enjoy the song in a new way.

Another Clint Eastwood Movie Led To A Big Yellowstone Actor Casting

Sheridan Was Impressed By Luke Grimes’s Work In American Sniper

On top of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven serving as the inspiration for the series itself and its theme song making an appearance in an early episode of Yellowstone, another Clint Eastwood movie is actually responsible for Taylor Sheridan casting one of Yellowstone‘s main characters. Prior to joining the cast of Yellowstone as Kayce Dutton, Luke Grimes starred in Clint Eastwood’s 2014 movie American Sniper. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Luke Grimes confirmed that it was this role that initially piqued Taylor Sheridan’s interest.

Grimes’s role in American Sniper is that of Marc Lee, a Navy SEAL who was killed in combat. The intense role served as proof that Grimes would be able to portray Kayce, who is also a former Navy SEAL and is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of those experiences. Grimes was undoubtedly great as Kayce and embodied the complexity and imperfect nature of Sheridan’s Yellowstone characters, once again highlighting just how much inspiration the showrunner drew from Eastwood’s movies.

Sources: The Atlantic, Cinema Blend, The Hollywood Reporter