‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser On What Makes Rip and Beth’s Relationship So ‘Special’

Yellowstone Season 4 ended with the surprise wedding of Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). Fans knew the couple would eventually tie the knot. But no one expected Beth to kidnap a priest and marry Rip while wearing a revealing gold chainmail dress. Their relationship has been filled with twists and turns since the beginning– and fans can get enough. According to Hauser, he knows the reason why.

‘Yellowstone’ star Cole Hauser shares why Rip and Beth’s relationship is so ‘special’

During a recent in-depth interview with Cigar & Spirits, Hauser talked about Rip and Beth’s relationship and how it’s so different from her relationship with everyone else on the show. In his opinion, Rip has such a special place in “Beth’s hardened heart” because there’s “a huge history between the two of them.”

“Rip and Beth have known each other since he was an orphan child at the age of 12. Every person has that soulmate, that person who’s kind of the yin to their yang,” Hauser explained.

“The way I’ve tried to portray Rip with her is he’s not interested in butting heads. He has a way of breaking down her seriousness or anger or emotion with either kindness or love. Those are the things that make them special.”

Beth and Rip should never go ‘head-to-head’

Hauser admitted that if Rip and Beth didn’t have this yin/yang dynamic, things could get ugly quickly. “For example, when she gets pissed off, I start laughing at her. It’s like, ‘Okay, honey,'” Hauser said with a laugh.

This dynamic between the couple was established from the beginning in the Yellowstone pilot, when Beth was extremely mean to Rip and he just looked at her and walked away. “I’m like, ‘I don’t need your sh*t. See you later,'” Hauser recalled of his character, agreeing that this reaction “totally disarms” Beth.

Going into season 5, Reilly says that Beth is actually “quite old fashioned in her values” and marrying her soulmate has only made her stronger.

“I think the fact this man is now her husband, it holds a lot of power in her. But he’s always been her guy, since she was 16 years old. He’s the only man other than her father that she’s ever loved,” Reilly explained at the Paramount 2022 Upfronts. “So the fact that now it’s official in God’s eyes, it’s something I think she’s incredibly proud of. And I think it probably gives her a bit more stability.”

The first episode of ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 will be a shocker

So, what should fans expect when Taylor Sheridan’s western returns for season 5? According to executive producer David Glasser, they should expect the unexpected.

“Episode 1 will immediately surprise everybody — where our story starts and what has happened,” Glasser told TV Insider. 

Does that mean there will be a time jump? Is the election over and John Dutton (Kevin Costner) has won the governor’s race? Has Beth found a new way to use her adopted brother Jamie (Wes Bentley)? 

Fans will find out when Yellowstone Season 5 premieres Sunday, November 13 on the Paramount Network.