Cole Hauser Confirms What We Suspected All Along About Kevin Costner’s On-Set Behavior

Cole Hauser and Kevin Costner have a close onscreen relationship on Yellowstone, and Hauser says they have a special bond offscreen, too.

Hauser plays Yellowstone ranch foreman Rip Wheeler on the show, and Costner plays Dutton family patriarch John Dutton, who took Rip in when he was young. They have an unshakable bond, and Hauser shares that he and Costner also have a lot in common.

In an interview with Fox News in November of 2022, just before Season 5 launched in December, Hauser said the thing that surprised him most about the Oscar-winning icon is “just what kind of human being he is.”

“Before an actor or as a creative soul is just him as a person,” Hauser adds. “He’s from the kind of area in California [that I’m from]. He’s from Ventura. I’m from Santa Barbara. And getting to know him over the last five years, I mean, I’ve learned a lot about just being a gentleman on set and just a class act.”

“He’s got a family. I have three kids, a wonderful wife. And he’s just someone to look up to in my opinion,” Hauser continues. “And then creatively, his storytelling, his want and desire to continue to push the envelope as a… creator… it’s inspiring.”

Costner’s role as John Dutton earned him a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Television Series — Drama on Jan. 10, and while Costner could not be at the ceremony in person, he offered a humble acceptance speech online after getting the news.

“Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press and @goldenglobes for this tremendous honor and to the @yellowstone team for bringing John Dutton’s world to life,” Costner wrote. “I share this recognition with my castmates, the producers, and our incredible crew. Most of all, thank you to our show’s fans, who love Yellowstone Ranch as if it were their own.”