Actor Ed Harris has publicly voiced deep dissatisfaction with his experience on the Yellowstone spinoff series Dutton Ranch, revealing that he felt “misled” regarding the importance of his character and even requested to leave the production midway through filming the first season.
Harris, 75, plays veterinarian Everett McKinney in the Paramount+ drama. The actor disclosed his frustrations during an interview with Variety at the Monday night premiere of the Apple TV film The Dink.
Claims of Being Misled
According to Harris, his decision to join the project was based on discussions regarding the scope of his role. Prior to signing on for it, I was talked to quite a bit about what the season was, and what my character was going to do — and that I was one of the four main characters,
Harris stated. And that wasn’t really the case.
The actor reported that when he raised concerns with producers about feeling underused and inconsequential,
his complaints were met with little more than a shrug. This lack of response led him to reach out to his team during the production of Season 1 with the directive to get me the f*** out of here.
The Cut Scene That “Pissed” Him Off
A specific point of contention for Harris was a sequence involving his character, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). In the scene, Harris’s character is at a bar when Wheeler enters and invites him to sing. Harris recounted that he walked to the microphone, only for the production to cut the entire musical moment from the final edit.
Status of Season 2 and Future Stakes
Despite his public criticism, Harris remains under contract for Season 2 of Dutton Ranch, which is scheduled to begin filming next year. He acknowledged that he has been informed his character will have a little bit more to do
in the upcoming season.
Production Leadership Changes
The second season of the series arrives amid a transition in leadership. Benjamin Cavell has been tapped to serve as the new showrunner, replacing Chad Feehan. Additionally, series creator Taylor Sheridan is expected to have a greater influence on the creative direction of the second season.
Sources: TMZ.
