Josh Lucas, the young John Dutton of Yellowstone, reveals he initially wanted to play Rip Wheeler.
Yellowstone has placed itself at the top when it comes to the best Western TV shows of all time. Now having several spin-offs airing and in the works, the Western series by Taylor Sheridan is one of the best to have been created involving politics, drama, romance, and more.
Despite the impressive response and fame, the drama will be ending and Kevin Costner will be saying goodbye to his fan-favorite character of John Dutton. And so will Josh Lucas, who portrayed the young version of Dutton in the hit series. While talking about his time in the show, the actor also revealed how Sheridan turned down one request from him that would leave fans shocked.
Josh Lucas Reveals Taylor Sheridan Turned Down His One Request for Yellowstone
Josh Lucas has consistently proven his mantle as an actor throughout his career, yet it is his portrayal of the young John Dutton that really knocks the ball out of the park. Starring as the younger version of Kevin Costner‘s character, Lucas is so good that fans want him to have his own spin-off series.
While the possibility of such a spin-off happening is a toss-up, Lucas is grateful for the opportunity he has gotten. In an interview with Deadline, while discussing his Yellowstone role, Lucas remarked how he initially wanted to play a very different character but was turned down by Taylor Sheridan.
“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.”
While it is hard to imagine anyone else than Cole Hauser playing Rip Wheeler, Lucas too would have been a great choice. Yet it would be equally hard to imagine anyone else portraying a young John Dutton the way Lucas did.
Will Josh Lucas Return To The Yellowstone Universe?
Josh Lucas had remarked back in his interview with Deadline about how Taylor Sheridan revealed to him that he will get to play a bigger role in Yellowstone season 5. He remembers thinking that Sheridan was crazy, for back then it was hard to know that the Western drama would even make it to season 3.
Yet here we are and the show is one of the most watched of all time and just as Sheridan had said, Lucas has a bigger presence in the last and final season of the Kevin Costner-starrer show. And in a recent interview with SiriusXM’s The Spotlight, Lucas remarked,
“I sent him a text… because I did genuinely want to thank him for the experience, because I love being there. I love being out on those horses. I love being on that land… said, ‘You know, I really just wanna thank you for the experience,’ because I sort of had assumed it was over with based on, you know, what I think we’re all hearing and assuming… He said, ‘No, we’re gonna go back and we’re gonna finish and we’re gonna definitely rely on some flashbacks to tell the story.’”
And so while we wait and expect Josh Lucas to return to the world of Yellowstone, the final episodes of the show might be gearing up for production soon (see The Hollywood Reporter).