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‘Yellowstone’ TV: How Cole Hauser’s Mom Played Role in Him Being Cast as ‘Rip Wheeler’

Moms are always finding ways to build up their kids. And that was the case for Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser whose mom helped him meet the show’s creator.

Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone, has starred in movies including Rogue, Good Will Hunting, Chronicles of Riddick, A Good Day To Die Hard, and more. Most recently, he landed the country-western role of a lifetime on Yellowstone. So, how did he first hear about the role? During an interview in 2020 with The Havoc Journal, Cole talked about meeting one of the show’s creators, John Linson. The two have known each other for almost two decades and were first introduced by their moms.

“John Linson and I have known each other for almost twenty years. His mother and my mother are very good friends. I met him when I was in my early twenties. We have always wanted to do something together,” said Hauser.

Cole said that as soon as he read the script, he immediately fell in love with the storyline and wanted to play Rip.

“This one just worked out, everything just lined up. He sent me the script and I looked at it. In my opinion, he is one of the best American writers,” said Hauser. “He gave me the script and I fell in love with Rip. It all worked out, thank God.”

Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler

Cole Hauser Went to ‘Cowboy Camp’ Before Filming Yellowstone

Rip Wheeler was a born cowboy. But Cole Hauser didn’t quite grow up wrangling wild horses. At least, not to the extent that Rip did. So, to prepare for his role on Yellowstone, he and other members of the cast attended a “cowboy camp.”

“Yeah, I went through that with Luke (Grimes), Wes Bentley, Jeff White, and Denim (Richards) all of us went up to the mountains and ran the rocks,” said Hauser during an interview. “We had a chance to get to know each other and rough it a bit.”

However, this past season, Hauser took his training a step further. He didn’t want to simply play Rip Wheeler. He wanted to do as much as he could to fully embody the character. So, he went to the set a month before filming started to practice his riding techniques.

“This year I took some time and wanted to become really good at riding. I came out a month early to Park City, and rode, roped, cut, and a bunch of stuff every day so I was prepared,” said Hauser. “You know you stop thinking about riding sometimes when you really get into it. You can do a lot on a horse without even thinking about it. That’s where I wanted to get to. It was really right for me to do.”

Hauser said the training paid off. He was able to perform most of his Yellowstone stunts himself.

“This year I have been able to do a lot more on horseback than last year they wouldn’t have allowed me to do,” said Hauser. “It is all me. Only once last year did Cooper, my stunt double, get on a horse.”