Beloved Yellowstone vet Cole Hauser is back in the role of Rip Wheeler for the neo-western’s spinoff Dutton Ranch, currently a 2026 TV schedule staple streaming via Paramount+ subscription, where he’s now the king of the castle (so to speak) alongside his queen Beth Dutton. It’s almost impossible not to be intimidated by the character, given his proficiency with seemingly everything involved with ranching and cowboy life. It’s an element that Hauser gives franchise co-creator Taylor Sheridan full credit for, in regards to the pre-production “Cowboy Camp” that the actors go through.
A lot of Yellowstone diehards are aware of the training process that Sheridan & Co. have made a staple of the Yellowstone prequels and follow-ups, and that it’s about more than just roping and riding, even if those two elements are certainly vital to the cause. But Hauser doesn’t think enough people are aware of how much he in particular went through to give Rip the foundational confidence and know-how required. As he put it when speaking to Shortlist in a clip shared to Instagram:
