Cole Hauser gives one of the best performances in Yellowstone as Rip Wheeler, but he was originally intended to play a completely different character.

Premiering in 2018, Yellowstone quickly became one of the most popular shows on television, and its success eventually led to Taylor Sheridan building out a shared universe that explores various moments in the Yellowstone timeline.

With several spinoff projects in the works, the Yellowstone universe doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

The Yellowstone cast and characters are the beating heart of the series, with each of them going on a journey over the show’s impressive five seasons.

Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler is one of the best characters in Yellowstone, and a testament to how the series is able to take these morally dark characters and make them incredibly endearing in the process. Despite Rip being an integral part of the show, things could have turned out a lot differently if Cole Hauser had played someone else.

Cole Hauser Was Originally Meant To Play One Of The Dutton Sons In Yellowstone

Though He Was Meant To Be A Dutton, He Gravitated Towards Rip Wheeler

Yellowstone largely revolves around John Dutton and the various other members of the Dutton family, including John’s sons, Lee, Jamie, and Kayce.

Prior to portraying Rip Wheeler, Cole Hauser would have played one of the Dutton sons, though which one he was going to be remains a mystery. In an interview with THR, Cole Hauser talked about what initially led him to have a role in Yellowstone and how he gravitated towards Rip Wheeler, instead of the original intent of him being a Dutton, stating:

“John Linson was a friend of mine way before I met Taylor Sheridan. I’ve known him since I was 17 years old. I met him through a buddy of mine.

He came to me initially [with Yellowstone] and said, “Take a look at these different roles and tell me what you think.” In the beginning it was to play one of the children of John Dutton.

I read the pilot and I thought, well this guy [Rip] only has a couple of scenes, but I love the character.

I got on the phone with Taylor. We spoke for two hours, and that was kind of it. Then I started to work with and be around Taylor while he was writing and he started building the character along with some of the ideas that I had. But he’s a tremendous American writer. It was a great collaboration.”

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Cole Hauser being drawn towards playing Rip is that he was able to collaborate with Taylor Sheridan to help flesh out the character in ways that likely weren’t even thought of when the pilot was written.

The collaboration worked, as Rip Wheeler is largely considered one of the best parts of Yellowstone, and Hauser’s performance is a major reason for that. Of course, Rip essentially functioned as an adopted son of John Dutton and eventually became his son-in-law, tying the character somewhat back to the original plan for Cole Hauser.

Without Hauser, Rip & Beth May Never Have Become Yellowstone’s Power Couple

Cole Hauser And Kelly Reilly’s Chemistry Was Undeniable

If Cole Hauser had ended up playing a Dutton instead of Rip, Yellowstone as a whole would have been much worse off for several reasons, especially if the character hadn’t been fleshed out the same way he had if Hauser hadn’t given input.

Arguably, the biggest reason is that it is entirely possible that Rip and Beth’s relationship wouldn’t have been explored in the same way as Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly’s chemistry gives so much weight to their journey together.

Rip and Beth’s ever-evolving relationship was a tremendous success for Yellowstone, and their popularity as characters (and as a couple) has led to a spinoff series about Rip and Beth, which will explore their lives after the events in Yellowstone.

Seeing the two of them embrace the love they had for each other throughout the series is incredibly satisfying, and it would have been a shame not to see that play out in the same way if Cole Hauser had played one of her brothers instead.

Rip Wheeler Was A Love Letter To The Dying Way Of Cowboy Life

Cole Hauser’s Performance Strengthens Rip’s Cowboy Lifestyle

Though Yellowstone often embraces the melodrama, the series also makes it a priority to depict the cowboy way of life. It’s often a love letter to a genre that quietly faded compared to its peak, and there is no better character in Yellowstone to channel that admiration for the cowboy into than Rip Wheeler.

On the surface, Rip seems ripped out of a popular Western film as a soft-spoken, no-nonsense tough guy, and while all these are key parts of the character, there is a surprising amount of complexity to him.

Cole Hauser perfectly captures the idea of the cowboy through his performance as Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone, while diving under the surface to make him so much more.

His physical performance alone is remarkable, but the subtleties in his expressions and the way he carries himself make Rip an easy character to root for, even when he does morally awful things.

It’s possible that Rip wouldn’t have been as important a character if Cole Hauser hadn’t been drawn to playing him, and Yellowstone wouldn’t have been the same if that were the case.