Yellowstone' Season 5: Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser Interviews

Moviefone speaks with Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser about season 5 of 'Yellowstone.' "Jamie is fully checkmated," Bentley said about his character.

Premiering on the Paramount Network November 13th is season 5 of the popular series ‘Yellowstone,’ which was created by Taylor Sheridan (‘Hell or High Water’).

The series follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana, known as the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Season 5 will explore John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) political career, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip's (Cole Hauser) marriage, Beth and her brother Jamie's (Wes Bentley) rivalry, Kayce's (Luke Grimes) family, and the future of the ranch.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser about their work on the fifth season of ‘Yellowstone,’ Jamie’s rivalry with the family, Beth and Rip’s relationship, John Dutton’s political career, and the future of the ranch.

Wes Bentley stars as Jamie Dutton in Paramount Network's 'Yellowstone' season 5.

You can read the full interviews below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser.

Moviefone: To begin with, Wes, Jamie did some pretty terrible things at the end of last season, where is he mentally and in terms with the family when the new season begins?

Wes Bentley: I was just laughing because you said he did a terrible thing at end of the season. It feels like (he does that) almost every season. I mean Jamie is, for the first time in his life, I think, fully checkmated. I think he feels cornered and in a cage. He has no plan. For Jamie, that's terrifying. He's always had a plan. He's always had an idea. He's always had an out. He has none of that now. Beth has him locked down and she knows it and he knows it.

I think what he's doing is he's upset. He's upset and he's raging inside about what he's had to do, and now how they're treating him again. But I think he's also, like Jamie does, staying loyal and trying to help them through the governorship as he enters it, and help them not mess everything up and try to keep the ranch. I mean, in Jamie's world, he's trying to keep the ranch too. He's conflicted I think. There's a real struggle going on inside of him and I don't know if he can maintain it for the whole time.

MF: Now that Beth has leverage on Jamie and is blackmailing him, how does that affect their relationship, and will we see that storyline play out this season?

WB: I mean, we don't build the relationship, but it gets better though. It only gets more intense. She really is enjoying, I think, having Jamie now locked down. It seems to be that she's relishing it and taking advantage of it. I think that's only going to spark Jamie more to react. I think now Jamie is no longer going to try to play her games.

He'll answer her questions. He'll do what she says, but he's going to try not to participate in this thing she does. I don't know if he can pull it off the whole time. Like I said, his anger is only building. He's a pot boiling with a lid on and it's going to burst. Whether that's to his benefit or not, I don't know yet, but something's going to happen.

MF: Now that John Dutton is involved in politics, how does that make Jamie feel and how does it change his relationship with his father?

WB: I mean, I think any sort of mythical character John was to Jamie died when he ran for governor because he spent his whole life railing against politicians, railing against lawyers, the law, the government, and now he's the governor, not Jamie, but John.

I think it cleared something up, that his dad is a hypocrite. I mean, he probably knew that in a lighter way before, but this is full hypocrite. This is not a real man. Two things happen there. You lose respect and also, he sees a weakness and that might be something to exploit.

Cole Hauser stars as Rip Wheeler in Paramount Network's 'Yellowstone' season 5.

MF: Cole, Rip and Beth finally got married at the end of last season. How are they doing as a couple when the new season begins?

Cole Hauser: I don't think much has changed when it comes to them being a couple. I mean, they've been a couple since they met each other at 12 and 13 years old. But I think what Taylor wrote this year, which is wonderful, is there's some stuff that comes up in the past when it comes to Beth and what she's dealing with.

Certainly, in the first episode you see that. But once again, Rip is there, not only as a rock, but as a friend and her lover. I think it's just more of him being the man that she's always wanted. I love playing that guy, he's just solid when it comes to her.

MF: As I’m sure you know, fans love seeing Rip and Beth together. Why do you think their relationship resonates so much with the show’s audience?

CH: I would say they're imperfect and I think a lot of people want to see that. I don't watch all the television shows that are out there right now, so I can't speak for all of them, but I think what Taylor does really well is he writes them imperfect.

Also, they need to help each other to fix not only issues outside of their relationship but within it. I think the audience seems to resonate not only with that, but also their passion for each other and the love, which is unwavering no matter what you do. So, I'm assuming that's why people are attracted to them.

MF: Finally, now that John Dutton is involved in politics, Rip fears for the future of the ranch. Can you talk about that and what does he see that no one else is does?

CH: I talked to Taylor about this when we were shooting the scene that's on the hillside and why he feels the way he does. It's uncomfortable for him to have people in his backyard, so to speak. I think that's never been something that has been allowed in the past.

So, I think that's kind of a reaction based on allowing them into this world that is very private. This is a guy who doesn't have an ID. He's not really on the planet. People don't know about him. He's kind of an animal in the Montana landscape. So, it's the idea of having that in his backyard, that I think is troublesome to him.

But what's kind of happening this year, which he's struggling with and certainly Taylor wrote it this way to see another side of Rip, is the idea of being thrusted into this responsibility of being the foreman while John’s away, and how he deals with that personally and also with Beth. So, this year there's a lot of stuff going on mentally that's different from any other year with Rip.

(L to R) Kelly Reilly as Bethany "Beth" Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in Paramount Network's 'Yellowstone' season 5. Credit: Paramount Network.