Cole Hauser admits Taylor Sheridan's absence from writers' room created 'challenges' on 'Dutton Ranch' Cole Hauser is giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of "Dutton Ranch" — and it wasn't all smooth riding. The actor, who reprises his fan-favorite role as Rip Wheeler in the "Yellowstone" spin-off, acknowledged the cast faced an uphill battle after franchise creator Taylor Sheridan stepped away from the show's writers' room during the spin-off’s first season. "There were challenges, you know?" Hauser told Film Inside NYC. "Not having Taylor [Sheridan] there, for us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people... Everything had changed." "The only… normality that we had whatsoever was Carter [played by Finn Little], Christina [director Alexandra Voros] … Kelly and myself," he added. "Dutton Ranch," which wrapped its first season earlier this month, marked the first series in the "Yellowstone" universe not to be written by Sheridan. While the franchise creator remained on board as an executive producer, day-to-day creative duties shifted to showrunner Chad Feehan and an entirely new writing staff. For Hauser, the transition wasn't seamless. "I enjoy a challenge, it certainly was a challenge," he said. "We worked our a--es off this year... And I don't think a lot of the outside noise or the thought of, like, 'What's the weight of the show?' was really apparent to me at the time." Rather than dwell on the expectations surrounding one of television's biggest franchises, Hauser said the cast focused on finding its footing with an unfamiliar creative team. The actor pointed out that the experience ultimately strengthened the cast. "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." Hauser's comments come after speculation surrounding the show's creative direction. The franchise faced scrutiny following blunt comments from co-star Ed Harris, who said he was disappointed by how his character, Everett McKinney, was handled during Season 1. Speaking to Variety, Harris said, "Midway through this first season, I was ready to say, 'Get me the f--- out of here,' to tell you the truth... I didn't feel I was being used... I felt a little bit misled." Harris claimed he signed on believing Everett would be one of the show's central characters, but felt that promise never materialized. "Prior to signing on for it, I talked quite a bit about what the season was and what my character was going to do. That I was one of the four main characters. And that wasn't really the case," Harris said, adding that he also was disappointed a scene in which his character sang was ultimately cut from the final edit. The Oscar-nominated actor said producers have assured him his role will expand when production resumes. "We don't start [Season 2] until February," Harris said. "And I'm being told that my character will have a little bit more to do. It just was a little frustrating, to tell you the truth."

When Taylor Sheridan stepped back from the writers’ room of ‘Dutton Ranch,’ the cast of the ‘Yellowstone’ spin-off was left to figure it out on the fly. Cole Hauser, reprising his role as Rip Wheeler alongside Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton, did not sugarcoat what that felt like.

Dutton Ranch’ Cast Admits Season 1 Was a Mess Without Sheridan

“There were challenges, you know?” Hauser told Film Inside NYC. “Not having Taylor there, for us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people — everything had changed.”

Sheridan remained an executive producer on the series but handed day-to-day creative control to showrunner Chad Feehan and an entirely new writing staff. It was the first production in the ‘Yellowstone’ universe not written by Sheridan, and the absence was felt.

Taylor Sheridan, creator of Yellowstone and Landman, wearing a cowboy hat and looking toward the camera. — Taylor Sheridan has built a television empire on his own terms, bypassing traditional Hollywood standards.

For Hauser, the only familiar ground was a small one. “The only normality that we had whatsoever was Carter, Christina, Kelly, and myself,” he said — naming Finn Little, who plays Carter, and director Alexandra Voros alongside Reilly as the constants the cast could rely on. Everything else was new.

Hauser said the cast did not spend much time thinking about the franchise’s weight. “I enjoy a challenge, it certainly was a challenge. We worked our a–es off this year. And I don’t think a lot of the outside noise or the thought of, like, ‘What’s the weight of the show?’ was really apparent to me at the time.” He kept his focus narrow: the writers in front of him, the scenes they had to build, the story they were trying to tell. “I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I look forward to doing it again.”

Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in "Dutton Ranch." — Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in “Dutton Ranch.” (Paramount+.)

Not everyone on set shared that sense of resolution. Ed Harris was not shy about how he felt.

“Midway through this first season, I was ready to say, ‘Get me the f— out of here,'” Harris told Variety. “I didn’t feel I was being used. I felt a little bit misled.”

Harris, Oscar-nominated for ‘The Truman Show,’ ‘Pollock,’ ‘The Hours,’ and ‘Milk,’ said he signed on after extended conversations about his character, Everett McKinney, and was told Everett would be one of four central figures in the story. “That wasn’t really the case,” he said. A scene in which his character sang was cut from the final edit — a loss Harris mentioned specifically as a disappointment.

Ed Harris made some surprising comments this week about his time on Dutton Ranch. (Paramount+)

The first season of ‘Dutton Ranch’ wrapped earlier this month. Production on Season 2 is set to begin in February, and Harris said producers have promised him more to work with. “I’m being told that my character will have a little bit more to do,” he said. “It just was a little frustrating, to tell you the truth.”

Two actors, two very different ways of processing the same difficult season. Hauser found a foothold in the hard work. Harris is still waiting to see if the promises hold.