yellowstone-star-cole-hauser-opens-about-becoming-great-friends-kevin-costner

‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser Opens Up About Becoming Great Friends With Kevin Costner

“Yellowstone” is gearing up for its Season 4 finale tonight. Cole Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler on the show, sat down for a recent interview to dish out all the nitty-gritty details of working on Season 4. One of the most notable relationships of the entire series is certainly the character relationship between Rip and John Dutton. The actor behind John Dutton, Kevin Costner, filmed a lot alongside Cole Hauser this season. The star revealed what it was like working so closely with an actor as legendary and respected as Costner. 

In a November interview with CinemaBlend, the actor shares his thoughts on Rip and John’s relationship in Season 4. “Yeah, you know, this year, I haven’t really had an opportunity to talk too much about it,” Hauser says. “But I mean, this year is a great year for Rip and John. I feel like we have more scenes together than the past, where we’re definitely closer, for a lot of reasons. But it was really wonderful kind of working on that relationship with Kevin. You know, he’s a guy I’ve been watching for a very long time, and to have more to do with him and more to create with him is always, for me, an honor.” 

Cole Hauser’s Off Screen Friendship With Kevin Costner

Hauser’s respect for Costner is clear, and his statements about the character relationship certainly rang true this season. As we gear up for the finale, Hauser touches on working with Costner in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, and how his friendship with Costner developed offscreen throughout the season.

“I mean initially, he’s somebody I’ve been watching from afar for 30 years,” Hauser shares. “The opportunity to work with him at first was great, and then getting to know him and his passion for not only acting, but for John Dutton and the show was wonderful to see,” Hauser says. He continues,  “We’ve become great friends and he’s just a lovely guy. He’s from the same hometown that I’m from, he’s just down the road. So we had that in common and he’s like an older brother, y’know? It’s nice to look up to somebody and see someone as passionate as he is.”

As Hauser says, Costner’s passion for his art is undeniable, as he kills it on screen as patriarch John Dutton. 

Beth and Rip Will Go Down In History

Speaking of passion, Rip’s relationship with Beth Dutton was extra fiery this season. Beth and Rip may go down in history as one of TV’s most iconic couples. Their romance holds a special ability to keep audiences invested in the relationship.

Hauser shares why he thinks fans admire the pair’s romance so much. “They have their struggles, they have their issues. I think a lot of the audience looks at that whether they’re having those same issues or not, probably not as intense… They’re challenged in so many different ways, but they have each other, and what happens is when they’re together they open up, so you get to see the armor come off.” Hauser continues, “It’s wonderful to play it as an actor and actually have someone like Kelly [Reilly] to play it with, I mean she’s fantastic. I think that’s why they’ve fallen in love, because it’s not that perfect relationship, it’s real.”

You can watch the Season 4 finale of “Yellowstone” tonight, January 2nd, on the Paramount network.