Being a cowboy isn’t something you just are – you have to earn it. For “Yellowstone” star Cole Hauser, he knows this better than most. And if you’re portraying Rip Wheeler, it has to look natural. This is why the actor says his first year playing Rip was pretty “tough.”
Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hauser shared the intense training he had to go through to become Rip Wheeler. He remarks that Taylor Sheridan had him training on multiple horses.
“I mean the first year is tough. Taylor, he is no joke, I mean he put me on every horse he could find in his rank, you know, saddles and different saddles,” Hauser says.
The training was so intense that some of the cast even received “saddle scars” or sores on their bodies from the rigorous riding.
Rip is the leader of the bunkhouse boys and a seasoned cowboy. So in order for Hauser to adapt to the role, he trained for months. This was so he would look like an absolute natural while riding. And since “Yellowstone” is filled with scenes of cowboys on horseback, he knew he better get used to it.
But if he couldn’t ride before, you wouldn’t know it from watching Hauser race through the Yellowstone ranch. All his hard work definitely paid off.
“Yellowstone” Stars Discuss Rip’s Softer Side
And while Rip is ruthless when he needs to be, there’s also a softer side to him. This is most often witnessed with his onscreen love Beth Dutton. However, he had another tender moment this season with Teeter from the bunkhouse.
The moment comes after John Dutton declares there will be no more girls allowed in the bunkhouse. This includes Teeter, despite what a hard worker she is.
After she begs John Dutton to stay on, she shows him her brand and reiterates her devotion to the ranch. Rip vouches for her and she’s allowed to stay on. At this point she gives Rip a hug in appreciation, but the Teeter actress Jen Landon says it was somewhat of an “awkward” hug.
“It was so interesting because when if first read it, I read, ‘She hugs Cole.’ And then I realized, ‘Oh goodness, he’s on a horse,” Landon explained. “So it’s like this really awkward sort of thing. She’s sort of hugging his leg.”
Hauser additionally commented about the sentimental moment.
“I don’t think Rip ever wanted Teeter to leave,” he said in the video. “When she comes back and makes her case for what she’s doing, and what she’s done and how she’s done it, I think he’s proud that she came and stood up for herself. She’s like anybody who’s branded. You take that oath and you go through the suffering of being burnt on your chest like that, you deserve to be part of this ranch until the day you die.”
