Even though Dave Annable’s time on the show Yellowstone was short lived, he looks back on his experience fondly.

Recently, during a visit to The Rich Eisen Show, he shared a funny experience he had with the show’s lead, Kevin Costner. Actually, it was his very first day on set, and the two were scheduled to act out the most emotional moment in Episode 1.

In it, John Dutton (Costner) is grieving the loss of his son Lee (Annable), who was killed the night before. John spends a few quiet moments with his son’s body resting in his lap.

Kind of an awkward scene to film right out the gate with two actors who just met, but such is Hollywood.

“It was day one of shooting,” he recounts. “My first scene was — I was dead on the horse — where Costner picks me off the horse and sort of lays me in his lap.”

“So, playing dead’s hard to begin with, which I’ve learned. Playing dead on a horse is like that times 100 ’cause you’re trying to not breathe,” he adds.

“Costner pulls me off the horse — this is take one – lays me in his lap. And when he lays me in his lap, I promise you, I feel this across my cheek…” he says, trailing off, demonstrating with his hand nestled against his cheek.

“And in the scene he’s saying this beautiful monologue and he’s kissing my forehead, he’s crying,” he continues. “And I’m just… All I can think about was how much my mom would want to trade places with me.”

“I said, ‘What happened to my life? Where am I?’ as I’m feeling soft tears, just the softest lips and you know.”

Dave Annable Passed on Auditioning for Yellowstone

Knowing how big the show is today, it’s unfathomable to think that anyone would have passed on a chance to be a part of the epic series. But that’s just what Annable did.

“I’m from New York and Lee was supposed to be the best cowboy. You know, riding like the wind and I’m like, you know, been on a horse twice in my life,” he explains. “So I passed.”

He didn’t think anyone would notice that he passed on the project, but the show’s creator Taylor Sheridan is friends with Annable’s wife, Odette. He also coached Annable in some acting classes after Odette introduced the two of them.

Not even an hour after passing, according to the actor, his wife got a call from Sheridan, who was angry that Annable had passed. He told her to get her husband on tape that same day and send it over before 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Sheridan ultimately awarded Annable the role, which proved to be a good thing for the actor.

“Probably, arguably, the best experience of my life,” he says about learning how to be a cowboy.

Annable is currently working on another one of Sheridan’s projects. He plays Neal McNamara in the series Lioness, which stars Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana.

Yellowstone’s 10 Best Death Scenes

The best deaths on Yellowstone were satisfying. Villains who torture John Dutton and his family always meet a gruesome end on this show. Here are the 10 most epic death scenes from Seasons 1 to 5.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

No. 10: Fred Myers | S1E4 “The Long Black Train”