Cole Hauser was ‘big fan’ of ‘dear friend’ Taylor Sheridan before ‘Yellowstone’ creator sued

Let this feud rip.

Cole Hauser and Taylor Sheridan were seemingly on very good terms before the “Yellowstone” creator sued the show’s lead over his coffee brand.

On Tuesday, news broke that Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch is suing Hauser’s coffee brand, Free Rein. A lawsuit was filed Nov. 21 in federal court in the Northern District of Texas’ San Angelo division for trademark infringement.

Citing unfair competition, Sheridan’s team alleges that Free Rein uses “a brand mark strikingly similar to Bosque Ranch’s registered trademark, potentially misleading consumers,” according to San Angelo Live.

Hauser, 48, and Sheridan, 53, have worked on “Yellowstone” since its 2018 debut, with Hauser starring as second lead Rip Wheeler. With Kevin Costner leaving the show last year — and no word if he’ll return in any capacity for the final episodes — it appears Hauser will get top billing.

The “Good Will Hunting” actor opened up about collaborating with Sheridan in a May interview. (Before the lawsuit, he also recalled the two men getting into a physical fight the second time they ever met.)

“It was very natural, in the sense that Taylor and I got to know each other very well. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, in Utah at times, and in Montana, and we just became dear friends,” he told WFAA. “And when you spend time with people, especially as a writer like him, he takes little kind of interesting things, whether it’s who I am as a person, who he is as a person, the things we care about, that we want to talk about in society — and he found that Rip was a good vessel for that.”

“Yellowstone” was first brought to Hauser’s attention when fellow creator John Linson handed him the script. Once he heard Sheridan was onboard, it didn’t take much for him to sign on.

“He brought me the script and then said, ‘Taylor’s writing it.’ And I thought, ‘Jesus, really?’ And I’m a big fan of his, just as a writer in film. ‘Sicario,’ the list goes on. ‘Wind River.’ And so when he told me that, I thought, ‘Wow, this is going to be exceptional,’” Hauser recalled to the outlet.

“So he gave me the script. I looked at it. I think the initial thought was that I would play one of the Dutton boys. I read it and initially just was drawn to the colors that I saw in Rip,” he continued. “Maybe nobody else saw them at the time, but I certainly did.”

What drew Hauser in was Rip’s banter with his love interest, Beth, played by Kelly Reilly.

“I loved the relationship with Beth, out of the gates, even though it was very intense. And then I liked the fact that he was aggressive towards other people and dark, but also had kind of a beautiful side to him as far as nature and horses are concerned,” Hauser said. “So there were so many levels to the character, and that’s certainly what you look for, especially an actor like me. I don’t enjoy playing one-trick ponies.”

In real life, he’s been most taken aback about the attention he’s received from female viewers.

“The women aspect of it was a bit surprising, I won’t lie. I’ve always appealed to men,” he said, laughing. “They’re like, ‘That guy’s crazy. He’s cool. He says what he wants, he does what he wants.’ But the aspect of women falling in love with him — I guess I understand it, but at first it was a surprise, but now I get it. He has a heart of gold. He is loyal as loyal gets. He’s honest. He’s not full of s–t, which most people are. So I think, again, there’s a lot of colors to him that appeal to not only the female audience, but also the male audience as well.”

As for his favorite line Sheridan wrote for him? “F–k you.”

“I love when he’s like, ‘Jimmy, f–k you’ or ‘Shut the f–k up, Jimmy.’ But it’s endearing, though. It just Rip’s way. And I think like Taylor and I, there’s this real serious kind of part of the both of us, and I think we get the humor of it,” Hauser told WFAA. “Listen, it’s tough love, man. That’s missing in this country. So it’s good to see Taylor write it, and Jeff White [who plays Jimmy] and I act it.”

The Western drama paused production long before Costner exited — and before the SAG-AFTRA and writers strikes, which have both now concluded. The show’s mid-season finale aired Jan. 2 and amassed 10.3 million viewers on the Paramount Network, with the show’s last episodes still up in the air. Last month, it was announced that Season 5, Part 2, would premiere in November 2024.

With the Duttons’ drama now seeping off-set, it’s unclear what will come of Hauser and Sheridan’s working relationship.

While Sheridan’s Weatherford, Texas, ranch partnered with the brand Community Coffee in June to begin producing Bosque Ranch Craft Coffee, Hauser excitedly announced his new Free Rein Coffee Company in October.

“I am proud to share that @freereincoffeecompany and merch is now available at freereincoffee.com. A portion of proceeds benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation,” he captioned an ad for the company via Instagram on Oct. 11. “Now, get up and get after it!”

On Oct. 17, he shared a photo from his new store, which was filled with his coffee products branded with the logo that Sheridan claims looks like his.

“Serving coffee and taking orders at our first store in San Angelo Tx. Dreams don’t work unless you do,” Hauser penned. And just one day after Sheridan’s filing, Hauser posted a photo of him drinking his coffee while on a boat.

“Morning cruise @freereincoffeecompany get up and get after it!” he quipped.