Cole Hauser says the long-awaited return to the "Yellowstone" universe came with a punishing physical toll from a new foe: the Texas weather.
After spending nine months filming the Paramount+ series "Dutton Ranch," which completed its Season 1 last month, the rugged actor says he and the rest of the cast and crew were left exhausted by a production that battled everything from blistering heat to freezing temperatures and ice storms. (And that's not even counting the 275 snakes found around the set.)
"It was the end of the nine months of work, so I think I was a bit wiped out. The cast and crew were wiped out," Hauser, 51, said in an interview with People magazine, published Monday, Aug. 3. "We went through a lot of weather issues with the heat,
then the freezing cold, and there were ice storms. It was just nuts."
By the end of filming the Episode 9 finale, everybody "was ready to take a breather, go home, rest up and get ready for this next year," Hauser said.
'Dutton Ranch' star Cole Hauser called Texas weather 'a beast'
Hauser reprised his fan-favorite role as ranch foreman Rip Wheeler in "Dutton Ranch," the next chapter of Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" franchise centered on Rip and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). The new series brought a startling move from Montana to Texas for the Dutton family royal couple.
Speaking to USA TODAY in May during a joint interview with Reilly, Hauser referred to the Texas weather as "a beast" which could change drastically and quickly.
"We're not on soundstages, except for interior house shots. I don't think people understand filming in that environment. The crew and the actors are outside, it's 118 degrees out there. And then it will start snowing. It's like the weather can't make up its mind."
There were animals depicted onscreen and off, including feral hogs (2.6 million in Texas) and venomous snakes. Vigilant snake wranglers overseeing the production caught 275 snakes during filming, says Texas-transplanted director Christina Alexandra Voros.
"There are snakes onscreen, but far more don't make it on camera," Voros told USA TODAY. "Texas is filled with things that will bite you, sting you and scare you."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cole Hauser says brutal Texas weather wiped out 'Dutton Ranch' cast
