Kurt Russell has defended Taylor Sheridan’s writing against criticism that the cowboy creator over-sexualizes his female characters.
The actor, who stars on Sheridan’s newest Western series The Madison, praised Sheridan’s work as “compelling” and described the upcoming family drama as “female-gaze-oriented” in a recent interview.
“I think that it’s a very different show for Taylor in that it’s a very female-gaze-oriented show. And I think it’s extremely well written, it was fun to play. It was really fun to do. I just had a good time,” Russell, 74, told Entertainment Weekly.
The Madison, a modern day spin-off of Sheridan’s hit show Yellowstone, follows the Clyburn family as they move from New York City to Montana following a tragedy. Russell, Michelle Pfeiffer, Elle Chapman, Beau Garrett, Matthew Fox, Patrick J. Adams and Will Arnett star in the show.
“It’s a smart show,” Russell told the outlet. “He’s a really good writer — Taylor’s excellent, and Michelle’s great, and she’s really great in this show. Talking about awards — I think they’re going to be looking Michelle’s way.”
Russell’s glowing remarks come after years of criticism over how women are portrayed in Sheridan’s series, which include Yellowstone prequels 1883 and 1923 as well as Mayor of Kingstown and Landman.
People who have watched the show have argued that the prolific writer relies on degrading tropes when it comes to his female characters, who are typically viewed as over-sexualized and one-dimensional add-ons to male-centric plots.
EW’s review of Landman was titled, “Man, does this new Taylor Sheridan drama hate women.” Salon culture editor Kelly McClure wrote: “As a general rule, if there’s a woman on screen during Yellowstone, she’s either fighting, f***ing, crying, or yelling. I guess that’s the cowboy way?” Reddit is filled with complaints about the depictions, with one popular post simply titled, “I’m convinced Taylor Sheridan doesn’t like women.”
Sheridan also came under scrutiny when he cast supermodel Bella Hadid as his minor character’s girlfriend during a controversial 2024 episode of Yellowstone.
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Landman actor Ali Larter responded to the complaints about her character Beth Dutton’s sexualization by telling The Hollywood Reporter last June, “Nobody’s putting me in a position that I’m not comfortable being in. I have two children. I’ve been married for 19 years. I love playing this character. If there was something I was uncomfortable with, I wouldn’t do it. What’s more uncomfortable is that people are so uncomfortable by their sexuality.”
She added that Sheridan writes “women in their prime, that were still allowed to be alive.”
Kelly Reilly also defended her iconic character by saying that viewers were “very critical” of her role at the start of the show “because she is unapologetic, out there, flawed, damaged and brave,” she said. She added, “Women are always asked to play strong role model types, while men can play the gnarliest characters and get away with it.”
The Madison will premiere March 14 on Paramount as Sheridan finishes out his deal with the media giant before moving over to NBCUniversal in 2029.
