From Yellowstone to New Horizons: Cole Hauser Reveals Shocking Audition Advice

Rip Wheeler is one of the most important characters in “Yellowstone.” The ranch foreman, played by Cole Hauser, became a member of the Dutton family after Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III adopted him. Over time, Rip becomes an integral part of the Dutton ranch operation, overseeing the other ranch hands, conducting illegal activities for John, and marrying Chief Dutton’s daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly).

Hauser’s “Yellowstone” tenure behind the scenes was just as dramatic as Rip’s onscreen story. An actor once got into a physical altercation with series creator Taylor Sheridan.He also sued Hauser over his coffee company, Free Rein, in 2023. Because the logo looked too much like Sheridan’s company logo. similar). The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, but it’s clear that the relationship between Hauser and Sheridan was rocky at best.

Still, Rip Wheeler has been a mainstay of the series from the beginning, and considering the all-encompassing power the series creator had over the “Yellowstone” empire, it suggests Sheridan has always maintained an attachment to Hauser. of the show. ‘Yellowstone’ was filmed on a ranch owned by the company. Sheridan cast himself as horse trainer Travis Wheatley. After Paramount agreed to use the creator’s own words for the series. Moreover, Sheridan has written all of the spinoff shows along with the mothership series, and has spoken several times about how he had five-season plans for the show before the pilot was filmed. All of this means that the Texas native is pulling a lot of the strings behind the scenes.

So when it comes to the “Yellowstone” cast, creators can change things whenever they want. But for now, not only is Hauser still the star of the show, but he and Beth Dutton are co-stars as well. Kelly Reilly is in talks to produce a sixth season of ‘Yellowstone.’ This would essentially make Hauser the star of the series moving forward. That’s a good thing if you think about it The actor pushed himself to play Rip Wheeler when he was encouraged to audition for other roles in “Yellowstone.”

Cole Hauser could have played one of John Dutton’s sons.

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In the show, Rip becomes John Dutton’s adopted son, but of course he is not of the Dutton family lineage. So when the pilot script for “Yellowstone” started getting off to a good start, Cole Hauser’s agent naturally wanted his client to audition for one of the Dutton brothers’ roles, figuring he would be more likely to stick around once the show launched. As Hauser revealed on the Ryen Russillo podcast (via) Cinema Blend), “Yellowstone” co-creator John Linson is a friend of his, so when Linson suggested he come and look at the pilot script, Hauser accepted. “He didn’t have any role or say anything,” Hauser said. “So I read the script, I think at first our team was hoping I would play one of the sons, but I just didn’t see it coming..”

On the show, John Dutton has two biological sons: Kayce (Luke Grimes); Murdered Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) After the pilot episode. John also adopted a third son, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley). This was a character that Hauser’s agents were eager for their clients to pursue. But the actor’s plans were different. He continued:

“I didn’t think there was a role for me like Jamie, Lee, or Casey. The person who jumped out of the page was Rip, and they were like, ‘What are you doing? There are two scenes. As a pilot.’ I said, ‘Oh, I have a feeling something really good will happen with this character.’”

Why did Cole Hauser decide to audition for Rip Wheeler?

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In retrospect, Hauser’s decision to audition for Rip Wheeler was an inspired choice. He seemed to have seen something in Taylor Sheridan’s script that gave him incredible prescience. The actor explained to Ryen Russillo how he was encouraged by the fact that Sheridan “likes the real cowboy way,” adding, “I know he believes in talking about those kinds of people.” Moreover, Hauser could see the chemistry between Rip and Beth in the script, and told Russillo that Sheridan “saw that too, so that’s where it blossomed.”

Beyond the chemistry between Beth and Rip, Hauser saw more in the ranch foreman’s persona. “No one plays one note,” the actor continued.

“I think some people will look at Lip and say, ‘That guy is such a great guy.’ You know what I mean, right? That person is a heavy person. There’s a problem. John calls him. But Taylor, as I saw very early on, in that she had a relationship with him. Beth opening her soul and heart and who she is as a person. He then did an amazing job with the backstory and allowing the audience to understand the struggles this kid went through.”

The actor also emphasized how what appealed to him was “not only the lack of education that (Rip) has, but the smart life he has.” That all sounds great, but there may be another reason why Hauser is taking on the Rip Wheeler role.

The actor said he loves fist fights. men’s journal“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting. “Sometimes just talking gets tiring, so let’s get through it together.” So while the whole multi-faceted character thing sounds good, maybe he just really liked the idea of ​​playing the bad guy on the Yellowstone ranch. with Hauser claimed that there was only one condition for returning to ‘Yellowstone’. We’ll be seeing more wheelers, fist fights, and more in the near future.