While the Duttons remain entertaining on our screens, it’s a whole new behind-the-scenes family for the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s Western TV franchise.
Cole Hauser, who reprises his role as Rip Wheeler, recently spoke about the “challenges” of filming. Dutton Ranch without parent series Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan at the helm, next Dutton Ranch The departure of creator, EP and director Chad Feehan after the conclusion of the first season.
“There were difficulties, you know?” Houser explained to Film Inside NYC. “Because Taylor (Sheridan) wasn’t there, we were really able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people—everything changed.
Houser noted that “the only normality we had on set” was himself and the return Yellowstone co-stars Finn Little and Kelly Reilly, and director Christina Alexandra Voros.
“I like a challenge, it was definitely a challenge. We worked as hard as we could this year,” he added. “And I don’t think too much about outside noise or the thought of ‘what’s the weight of the show?’ was really obvious to me at the time.”
While the new setting on set was an adjustment for Houser, he explained that the experience brought the cast closer together while filming the Paramount+ spin-off.
“It was about putting my head down and working as hard as I could, working on what was around me. The writers that we had, the new writers that we had, we had to figure out on our feet how to really act and tell the story. So, I’m proud of what we accomplished and I’m looking forward to doing it again,” Houser said.
Last month SEAL Team Creator Benjamin Cavell has been named showrunner for the series’ second season. Dutton Ranch.
As for why Feehan left the series, sources tell Deadline that he stepped up as a writer but found it difficult to cast a bold cast, a key component of being a showrunner.