Ed Harris felt misled by Dutton Ranch over small role

Oscar nominee Ed Harris says he felt misled about his Dutton Ranch role, telling Variety he asked his team to get him out midway through Season 1. Promised one of four leads as veterinarian Everett McKinney, Harris instead felt underused and inconsequential on the Paramount+ Yellowstone spinoff.

Key Takeaways

• Harris told Variety he was sold as one of four main characters on Dutton Ranch, then felt that was not the case.
• Midway through Season 1 filming, he said he told his team to get him out of the show.
• A bar singing scene with Beth and Rip was cut, which he said really pissed him off.
• He is signed for two seasons and has been told Everett will have more to do in Season 2.
• Paramount, Taylor Sheridan, and 101 Studios did not immediately comment to Variety.

Why did Ed Harris feel misled by Dutton Ranch?

Speaking at the Monday night premiere of Apple TV’s The Dink, Harris told Variety’s Marc Malkin he felt “misled” about how important his part would be.

“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 said. “And that wasn’t really the case.”

He said he flagged the issue on set: “I said, ‘I’m feeling underused and inconsequential,’ and they kind of went, ‘Oh.’” Harris added he was “just a little frustrated, to tell you the truth.” Follow more Streaming & TV Alerts coverage on BlasterPost.

What scene cut left Harris furious?

On the series, Harris plays good-humored veterinarian Everett McKinney opposite Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler. After watching the finished show, he thought it was “pretty good” and felt his character was “relatively important to the story,” even though filming “didn’t feel that way.”

What stung most was a cut bar scene. Harris recalled talking to Beth when Rip says, “OK, Everett, come on, it’s your turn,” then walking to the mic — only to learn the song was removed. “They cut the song out. I’m going, ‘Fuck you, people,’” he said.

Production told him the moment was “too ‘up’ for the dark ending of that episode.” At the time, Harris said that felt like “enough reason to say I’m voiding my contract.”

Will Harris return for Dutton Ranch Season 2?

Dutton Ranch premiered on Paramount+ on May 15, following Beth and Rip as they leave Montana to build a ranch in South Texas. The cast also includes Finn Little, Juan Pablo Raba, Jai Courtney, J.R. Villarreal, Marc Menchaca, Natalie Alyn Lind, and Annette Bening.

Harris is currently signed on for two seasons. He said he is being told Everett “will have a little bit more to do” in Season 2. Variety noted that while he suggested he was ready to walk away during Season 1, it remains unclear whether he is actually looking to exit.

Spokespeople for Paramount, series creator Taylor Sheridan, and 101 Studios did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.