The Yellowstone universe has been in front of fans for going on eight years, but filming for the project began nearly a decade ago. In that time, the franchise has become nothing short of a legacy, thanks to its epic sets, ambitious plotlines, and rough-around-the-edges characters that are impossible not to love. For this reason, landing a role within Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western world is like hitting the jackpot—it’s a life-changing occurrence that the cast doesn’t take lightly.
Country Living sat down with some cast members from the Beth and Rip spinoff to gauge the weight of becoming part of the Taylor Sheridan franchise. Keep reading to learn why director, producer, and cinematographer Christina Alexandra Voros and actors Finn Little and Natalie Alyn Lind hold Dutton Ranch and the Yellowstone universe at large, within a realm of its own.
What’s it like being part of the Yellowstone Universe?
Over almost a decade, the Yellowstone cast and crew have adapted and evolved alongside the plotline. Now, mainstays like Christina and Finn are welcoming newcomers like Natalie to the highly coveted club. No matter where their path in the franchise began, the consensus remains the same: It’s a life-changing stroke of luck.
“I have had the great gift of spending the better part of the last decade working in Taylor's universe,” Christina tells Country Living. “I started on Yellowstone the very first season as a B-camera operator, and became a cinematographer on the show, and then a director on the show, and a producer on the show. So it really has been my life and my family for the last 10 years. I feel incredibly lucky to have kind of grown up as an artist telling these stories.”
As much as Christina enjoyed working on Yellowstone (and 1883, The Madison, and the upcoming Tulsa King spinoff, Frisco King), there’s something particularly special about leading Dutton Ranch. “It's such an exciting moment for us to be bringing a new chapter of Beth and Rip into the world, having been part of it from the beginning,” she shares. “I feel very, very lucky to be here, very grateful, not only for the work I've had the opportunity to do, but the people I've had the opportunity to do it with.”
While Christina has been with the series since day one, Natalie is a fresh face to the Yellowstone universe—but the series is far from new to her. “For me, it's so incredible because I feel like there are very few opportunities where you're able to join such a legacy,” the 25-year-old actress says. “For the original Yellowstone and all the prequels, there's such depth that comes with these characters—and it definitely is intimidating going into another version of it. But the thing that was always really important to me, and I think for the rest of the cast and crew, was making sure that this show honors the integrity of the original, but creates a completely different universe and a completely different idea of what Beth and Rip's life can be.”
The funny thing is, despite being a main character on the spinoff, Natalie (and the rest of the cast) also had to wait for the full story to come to light, and many of them have yet to watch their acting come to fruition in each episode. “As a Yellowstone fan, it felt like PTSD, honestly, [only instead of] every single week having to wait for the new Yellowstone to come out… [it was] waiting for all of these scripts. I would just be texting our writers, going, ‘So how many days now? How many days now? What am I going to do?’ Just trying to get information. And it's just the best feeling to be excited about a show that you're working on.”
Meanwhile, Finn, who has been with the show since the season 4 premiere, still can’t believe his stroke of luck—how working on one project with Taylor could lead to being called out to join a series he wasn’t too familiar with, one that would go on to be one of the highest-grossing television franchises of all time. “I didn't really know too much about Yellowstone when I first got the role,” the 19-year-old Australian actor admits. “I'd worked with Taylor in 2019 on a film called Those Who Wish Me Dead, which he directed. And after I'd completed that film, I went home, and a few months later, I got a call from him, saying he'd written me a part on Yellowstone, and he'd like me to come and play in Montana for a bit. I had to watch the series once he told me that, and I ended up really loving it, but, [at the time] I didn't realize how big a change this would make in my life.”
As transformative as the experience has been for the cast, watching Yellowstone develop dramatically and explosively over five seasons has been an undeniable treat for viewers. Now, we eagerly await as the next chapter unfolds.
New episodes of Dutton Ranch drop every Friday on Paramount+.
