‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser Doesn’t Think There Is Anything Wrong With Bar Fights — ‘I’ve Probably Been in One on Every Continent’
Yellowstone star Cole Hauser plays rugged ranch foreman and fixer Rip Wheeler on Taylor Sheridan’s widely popular western. Just like the character he’s played since 2018, Hauser is a man of few words. And he doesn’t mind getting into a fight when necessary. Specifically, the actor doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with bar fights — and he’s “probably been in one on every continent.”
The ‘Yellowstone’ star was born on a ranch
Numerous members of Hauser’s family have been major players in the entertainment industry since it began in Southern California a century ago. His great-grandfather was Harry M. Warner, one of the founders of Warner Bros. Studios.
Hauser was born on a ranch north of Santa Barbara and at the age of 4 moved to a 1,500-acre ranch in Oregon. He says that some of his earliest memories are of learning to ride horses. He told Men’s Journal that his early childhood was one of the happiest times in his life because he was surrounded by animals and exploring the land with his BB gun.
When he was 12, the family had moved back to California. And Hauser says that’s when he decided to take an acting class, even though he had no real interest in it.
“It was just a f**k-off class,” Hauser says. “There were good-looking girls, and you do a few plays. But I fell in love with acting and caught the bug.”
It wasn’t until he told his mom about wanting to pursue an acting career that he found out about his family’s history in Hollywood.
Cole Hauser doesn’t think there is anything wrong with bar fights
Even though he grew up around horses and kept riding as an adult, Hauser says he still had a lot to learn about playing a character like Rip. He spent hours and hours learning the physically demanding process of how to ride and rope, which helped him get into shape as the imposing Rip.
Just before he landed the part on Yellowstone, Hauser broke his back when he fell off a horse while filming The Last Champion. But he says enduring Sheridan’s Cowboy Camp was the perfect way to recover.
“My back was so bad I couldn’t move around very well, and so I lost strength in my stomach. What riding ended up doing is strengthening my back and my core,” he revealed.
As for Rip’s fighting skills, Hauser says he relies on his past experiences. When asked if he’s ever been in a bar fight, the actor made it clear he doesn’t back down from confrontation.
“Does a bear sh*t in the woods?” Hauser said with a laugh.
The ‘Yellowstone’ star got into a fight with Taylor Sheridan
“I’ve probably been in one on every continent,” Hauser admitted. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting. Sometimes I’m just tired of words, so let’s beat the shit out of each other. Maybe at the end of it you’ll buy me a Guinness and I’ll buy you a Bushmills, and we’ll be done. It’s kind of what guys do.”
Hauser isn’t the only person on the Yellowstone set who doesn’t see anything wrong with fighting — Sheridan feels the same way. And the second time they met each other, they got into a fight.
Now, Sheridan and Hauser are such good friends and know each other so well that Sheridan uses parts of Hauser’s early life when writing the Rip character. And to get emotional responses from him on camera.
Yellowstone seasons 1 through 4 are now playing on Peacock.
