Cole Hauser Faced An Unexpected Challenge With His Weight On Dutton Ranch Because Of This One Thing
"Dutton Ranch" star, Cole Hauser, learned a new trick to losing weight last year: Film a TV show in the Texas heat. Hauser told People in May 2026 that he struggled to bulk up while filming the "Yellowstone" spin-off. "I was sweating it out," he said. "I mean, I usually put on about 25 pounds, but it was hard to keep it on."
Hauser was part of the main ensemble cast in all five seasons of "Yellowstone." He played Rip, a farmhand who falls in love with Beth Dutton, the daughter of Dutton Ranch patriarch John. But now, Hauser and Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth, are the leading stars in "Dutton Ranch," which premiered in May 2026.
The series follows Rip and Beth as they move from Montana to Texas to start their own ranch. The filming location also moved to Texas, which meant the cast and crew had to adapt to a new terrain. Christina Alexandra Voros, a director for the series, told People, "we had every weather emoji over the course of shooting this. Our crew is really intrepid. Our cast is really intrepid. We got through all of it, but it wasn't easy." The weather might have contributed to the "Yellowstone" spin-offs' behind the scenes drama, with showrunner Chad Feehan exiting the show.
Cole Hauser broke his back during a horse-riding incident
Before filming the spin-off, the cast of "Dutton Ranch" was put through a training regimen to prepare for their roles. This included learning how to comfortably ride horses or use ropes to restrain animals. Cole Hauser was no stranger to "cowboy camp" after six years filming "Yellowstone," with creator Taylor Sheridan.
In 2024, Hauser told GQ that the training was the best preparation for filming the series. "You've just got to get on the horse and spend a month," he said. "And the first two weeks suck—you're sore, back hurts, arm hurts from roping, but those muscles turn back on, and the next thing you know, you can ride all day long."
But one tragic detail about Hauser's life is that he was once seriously hurt in a horse-riding incident in 2017. Men's Journal reported in 2022 that Hauser "broke his back falling off a horse while filming the movie 'The Last Champion.'" Hauser told Men's Journal, "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."