“Dutton Ranch” Star Cole Hauser Describes Gnarly Filming Conditions That “Wiped Out” The Cast
on Aug 04, 2026
Season 1 of Dutton Ranch was intense, to say the least…and so was the production process.
Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler, recently spoke with PEOPLE about the nine-month filming schedule. It was a schedule that left him and his co-stars eager for a break when everything finally wrapped up.
As Hauser explained, the cast and crew had to contend with some pretty gnarly weather conditions on set in Texas. “We went through a lot of weather issues with the heat, then the freezing cold, and there were ice storms,” he said.
Those conditions, plus the long filming timeline, took a toll on Hauser and everyone else involved:
“I think 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,” he said.
This echoes previous comments made by the show’s director, Christina Alexandra Voros, at the show’s premiere in June.
“When filming began, it was around 106 degrees for the first week that we were shooting,” Voros said. “We finished the show in March and we got shut down for four days because of an ice storm.”
RELATED: COLE HAUSER OPENS UP ABOUT BEHIND-THE-SCENES “CHALLENGES” ON “DUTTON RANCH”
Speaking specifically about the heat, Hauser joked he was “sweating it out“ on set and struggled to maintain the extra weight he puts on to play Rip.
What Cole Hauser Has To Say About Season 2 Of Dutton Ranch
Despite the terrible weather, long schedule, and thousands of rattlesnakes that were caught on set, Cole Hauser told PEOPLE that filming Season 1 of Dutton Ranch “was very rewarding in the end.”
“The audience loved it. The critics loved it. I can’t wait to continue to make Dutton Ranch as good as it can be,” he said.
Dutton Ranch has already been renewed for a second season. The show is slated to start filming again in early 2027, with a new showrunner leading the charge.
Benjamin Cavell will take over as the showrunner for Season 2 following Chad Feehan’s sudden departure three weeks before Season 1 premiered.
Hauser previously addressed Cavell’s addition to the crew, saying he has high hopes for what he’ll bring to the show.
“He’s a very special guy, and I think the future is bright—not only for myself, but Beth [played by Kelly Reilly] and Carter [played by Finn Little] and the show in general,” Hauser told PEOPLE on another occasion.
He added, “I think this is going to be a really nice next step.”
Catch up on everything that happened during Season 1 of Dutton Ranch in the video below.
