Dutton Ranch star exposes ‘challenges’ on Taylor Sheridan show

Yellowstone spin-off Dutton Ranch proceeded without creator Taylor Sheridan as a writer and the lack of his creative voice did not go unnoticed by the cast.  

Star Cole Hauser has laid bare the ‘challenges’ of working without Sheridan on Dutton Ranch in a new interview. 

It came shortly before his co-star, Ed Harris, blasted Sheridan over claims he was misled about the significance of his role in the show. 

While Sheridan did serve as an executive producer on Dutton Ranch, brand new directors and writers threw a wrench in Hauser’s acting strategy. 

‘There were challenges. Not having Taylor there. For us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people,’ Hauser, 51, told FilmInside. 

Only a few familiar faces remained from Yellowstone – director Christina Alexandra Voros, co-star Kelly Reilly, and the character of Carter, but Hauser made do with the dilemma.  

Cole Hauser, pictured with co-star Kelly Reilly, laid bare the ‘challenges’ of working without Taylor Sheridan as a writer on Dutton Ranch

While Sheridan did serve as an executive producer on Dutton Ranch, brand new directors and writers threw a wrench in Hauser’s acting strategy 

‘You know, everything had changed. The only kind of normality that we had whatsoever was Carter, Christina, you know, Kelly, and myself.’

‘I enjoy a challenge. It certainly was a challenge. We worked our a**es off this year too. And I don’t think a lot of the outside noise or the thought of “what’s the weight of this show?” was really apparent to me at the time.’

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Hauser said they had to ‘figure our on our feet’ how to bring the story to life the best they could. 

‘It was about putting my head down and working my a** off with what I had around me. The writers that we had, the new writers that we had, that we had to figure out on our feet how to really perform and tell a story.

‘So I’m proud of what we accomplished and I look forward to doing it again.’

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Sheridan and Paramount for comment but has not immediately heard back. 

Dutton Ranch premiered on streaming service Paramount+ on May 15.

It centers on Beth Dutton (Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Hauser), who leave Montana in pursuit of building their own ranch in South Texas.

Annette Bening, Finn Little, Juan Pablo Raba, Jai Courtney, JR Villarreal, Marc Menchaca and Natalie Alyn Lind also star.

Only a few familiar faces remained from Yellowstone, such as Reilly, but Hauser made do with the dilemma

Hauser’s comments came before Harris, 75, claimed he was made to believe he would be a main character on Dutton Ranch. 

But after he began filming season one, Harris recalled telling his handlers to ‘get me the f*** out of here.’

‘Prior to signing on for it, I was talked to quite a bit about what the season was, and what my character was going to do – and that I was one of the four main characters. And that wasn’t really the case,’ he told Variety on Monday at the premiere of Apple TV’s The Dink. 

On the series, Harris plays Everett McKinney, a good-humored veterinarian. Dutton Ranch aired its season one finale earlier this month, and Harris is slated to return for season two.

It came shortly before Ed Harris claimed he was misled about the significance of his role in the Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch

The star recounted about filming season one, ‘I said, “I’m feeling underused and inconsequential,” and they kind of went, “Oh.”‘

And he candidly noted, ‘I’m being told my character will have a little bit more to do [in season 2]. I was just a little frustrated, to tell you the truth.’

Harris then went on to recall filming a scene in a bar only for it to ultimately be cut from the show, which ‘pissed him off.’

He said: ‘So there’s this scene in there… I’m talking to [Beth Dutton] at the bar, and [Rip Wheeler] comes in and says, “OK, Everett, come on, it’s your turn.”

‘I walk up to the mic, and they cut it. They cut the song out. I’m going, “F*** you, people.”‘

The 75-year-old revealed that in an initial briefing about the part, he was made to believe he was a main character. He starred with Annette Bening in the Paramount+ show

Harris said production told him the bit was cut because it was ‘too “up” for the dark ending of that episode.’

At the time, the longtime actor said he felt the incident was ‘enough reason to say I am voiding my contract.’

It’s unclear if the star intends to exit the show.

Sheridan is arguably the biggest name in television right now as he co-created Yellowstone and several spin-off and prequel series including the aforementioned Dutton Ranch, 1883, 1923, and Landman.

This is not the first time that the Sheridan universe of shows has been hit with controversy – leading man Kevin Costner famously left the Yellowstone series in 2024 amid feud rumors.