It’s hard to recognize Cole Hauser from ‘Yellowstone’ compared to his past image.
Yellowstone's Cole Hauser may be best associated with Rip Wheeler now but he looked entirely different in the award-winning movie Good Will Hunting.
Yellowstone’s Rip Wheeler actor starred opposite the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in the iconic Good Will Hunting.
Cowboy Rip Wheeler (played by Cole Hauser) has been one of the central figures in the Paramount Network drama from the first day, despite not being a Dutton family member.
Having lived on the ranch since he was a troubled teen, he grew to be another son of John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) as well as the lifelong love interest of Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly).
Actor Cole Hauser’s had been going on for years prior to the Western series, having featured in the likes of Rogue, 2 Fast 2 Furious, ER and A Matter of Justice, just to name a few.
But hands down his biggest movie to date has been in the unforgettable Good Will Hunting in 1997 which received nine Oscar nominations and won Best Original Screenplay.
Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser unrecognisable with Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. (Image: PARAMOUNT NETWORK/MIRAMAX)
The psychological drama delves into the story of mathematics genius Will Hunting (Matt Damon) who goes to psychiatrist Dr Sean Maguireto (Robin Williams) for help following an emotional crisis.
As well as starring in the film, Damon also co-wrote Good Will Hunting alongside actor Ben Afleck who portrays his character’s friend Chuckie Sullivan.
Hauser is behind Billy McBride, another of Will’s friends who he spends his spare time drinking with when he isn’t working as a janitor at MIT.
This isn’t the first time Hauser has been in a film with Damon and Affleck either, having previously appeared in School Ties as well, before acting with Affleck in Dazed and Confused.
Actor Cole Hauser was Billy McBride in Good Will Hunting. (Image: MIRAMAX)
And it seems to this day that Damon and Affleck are still massive supporters of Hauser.
The pair appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast where Affleck said that it was his wife Jennifer Lopez that got him into watching Yellowstone.
He said: “[She] is really drawn to the romance between Cole Hauser and the woman who plays his wife.”
Damon then chipped in: “To tell you the truth, I was always mystified that Cole wasn’t a giant movie star.”
Affleck agreed with this, calling the Yellowstone actor a “pure, raw talent”.
Hauser has been portraying Rip Wheeler since 2018 but it is the beginning of the end with the final lot of episodes in sight.
It has been confirmed that Yellowstone is going to conclude with season five, part two, which is to premiere sometime in November.
But what the actor will go on to do following his stint on the Western series, however, remains unclear for now.
Yellowstone is available to watch on Paramount Network.
