The massive success of “Yellowstone” aside, the sprawling generational epic of the Dutton family is peppered with fascinating, often troubled characters that would be any actor’s dream to play. Appearing only in flashbacks to the 1990s in the series, Josh Lucas is no exception, and he jumped at the chance to play the younger version of Kevin Costner’s patriarchal leader character, John Dutton.
After a successful career playing opposite Reese Witherspoon in the classic rom-com “Sweet Home Alabama” and Eric Bana in the woefully underrated “Hulk” from Ang Lee, Lucas is also the voice you hear in all of those Home Depot commercials. But thanks to the unbridled appeal of “Yellowstone,” he’s risen to national prominence once again in one of the biggest shows in the history of television.
Before anyone knew what would be on the horizon for the hit show, co-creator and writer Taylor Sheridan approached Lucas about playing Costner’s younger self, boldly comparing the acting challenge to Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando both portraying Vito Corleone in “The Godfather Part II.”
With an extremely limited amount of screen time dedicated to the Dutton family’s earlier struggles, most of Lucas’ scenes in “Yellowstone” were centered around the tragic death of his wife Evelyn (Gretchen Mol), who died in a horse riding accident, leaving John alone with their four children Lee, Jamie, Beth, and Kayce. Still, Lucas has managed to make quite an impression — to the point where there have been unsubstantiated rumors swirling that he may star in a “1993” spin-off.
In an interesting twist of fate, Lucas originally wanted to play another role in “Yellowstone” that eventually went to an actor that made a splash in 1993’s “Dazed and Confused.”
From a stoner to a rancher
No, it’s not Matthew McConaughey, who played the aging Wooderson in Richard Linklater’s ’70s stoner classic and who is also set to star in a “Yellowstone” spin-off. From the outset, Lucas was eyeing the part of the baddest ranch foreman in all of Montana. The actor told Deadline:
“I wanted to be in the pilot. In fact, I’ve not said this to people, I really wanted to play Rip. But he clearly wanted Cole Hauser and it was kinda cool for me because I’ve known Cole since we were like 17, 18 years old.”
Without question, Cole Hauser’s performance as Rip Wheeler has led to one of the most compelling, sympathetic characters in the entire “Yellowstone” Sheridan-verse. Rip has become a fan favorite due largely to his crackling romance with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and his steadfast dedication to the family legacy that he will protect and defend at any cost.
That’s a far cry to his character in “Dazed and Confused,” a drunken football jock named Benny seen terrorizing the backends of upcoming high school freshmen with a custom-made wooden paddle he created in shop class. Benny does have a fierce loyalty to his friends, however, a quality that Hauser has carried over to Rip almost three decades later.
For Lucas, he could see that same intensity in Hauser when they first met back in the early ’90s:
“I always remember Cole being a striking force. It’s interesting now that he is Rip because he has that same power and energy and danger inside of him, but there’s also a soulfulness. It’s cool now to be on a horse outside of the ranch with him, 30-plus years later.”
