Ben Affleck reveals he and Jennifer Lopez are ‘Yellowstone’ fans
“Yellowstone” is the biggest show in America, and its popularity crosses all cultural lines. It has a reputation as a red-state show, but it’s also beloved by someone who performed at Joe Biden’s inauguration and her Democratic Party fundraiser husband, who happens to go way back with “Yellowstone” fans’ favorite actor.
Ben Affleck recently appeared on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” alongside his “Air” co-star and longtime friend Matt Damon, and the conversation turned to their long ago “Good Will Hunting” co-star Cole Hauser, who has risen to stardom as ass-kicking ranch foreman Rip Wheeler on “Yellowstone.” Affleck revealed that he and Jennifer Lopez are big fans of Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western series, but that he’s (jokingly) a little uncomfortable with his wife’s love for his old buddy’s character.
“I’m kind of disturbed that my wife really likes ‘Yellowstone,’” Affleck said. “Part of me thinks that she’s really drawn to the romance between Cole Hauser and [Kelly Reilly],” who plays Beth Dutton, the mouthy daughter of rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner).
Affleck praised Reilly’s performance and said that Lopez introduced him to the show. “Jen showed me a clip of her off of Instagram, the monologue she has with the kid in the car about the ways to become rich,” he said, referring to a memorable Season 4 scene. “And then she was like, ‘I love this story of these two.’ I was like, ‘Wait a minute? With Hauser? With Cole Hauser? What do you love about it?'”
(I’m projecting, but maybe she sees a little bit of herself in the story of a passionate romance between two people who reconnected many years after their first relationship didn’t work out?)
Affleck and Damon have known Hauser for decades – they all worked together in the 1992 film “School Ties” – and said they always admired Hauser’s acting ability.
“To tell you the truth, I was always mystified that Cole wasn’t a giant movie star,” Damon said. He recalled driving back to Boston from the “School Ties” set with Affleck after the first week of filming and asking him who was the best actor in the cast, which included Brendan Fraser, Chris O’Donnell, and Anthony Rapp. They agreed it was Hauser.
“Cole was great, and he’s fabulous on [‘Yellowstone’],” Affleck added. “He is very convincing as that guy. I think America believes he is Rip, you know what I mean?” In real life, Hauser is the great-grandson of Harry Warner, who was one of the Warner Bros., and has been an actor his whole life. But when he puts on that cowboy hat and stands with his arms out like he can’t put them to his sides, he becomes Rip Wheeler, a tough guy from nowhere.
PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions