Cole Hauser talks Yellowstone and more in Parade cover story

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–1. November 2024–

paradethe premier premium entertainment and lifestyle brand, released its latest cover story with Yellowstone Fan favorite, Cole Hauser. In an exclusive interview, Hauser sheds some light on the second part of the series' upcoming final season, premiering Sunday, November 10 on Paramount Network.

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The interview took place at Hauser's home in Florida while he was taking a break from hurricane cleanup efforts. It covers a wide range of topics, including the love story between Hauser's character Rip Wheeler and the rebellious Beth Dutton (actress Kelly Reilly), who grew up in a Hollywood family but outside the bright lights of LA, his friendship with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and more.

Read the full interview here. Notable quotes can be found below.

About the relationship between Beth and Rip
They've been through so much together. And it fascinates the audience. Given Kelly's acting and the way we get along in front of and behind the camera, I feel lucky to have worked with her.

About what will happen to the couple this season
They see that Rip is very supportive. There was a tremendous loss [star Kevin Costner, as family patriarch John Dutton, is not returning this season]. Being the man that he is and also the husband and friend that he is to her, there's just a lot of support and Rip tries to do his best to help her.

On Internet fan theories that things won't end well for Rip
You'll have to wait. Listen, Rip kills a lot. I'm telling you that.

To discuss a Rip and Beth spin-off series
I mean, it would be great, of course. There are discussions about it and we'll see how it turns out.

When auditioning for the role
I didn't audition. I just spoke to [co-creators] Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. I have known John for many years. We talked for about an hour and a half about the different roles and the story. He asked me who I wanted to play and I told him Rip.

About filming in Montana
I have had family there on the Hauser side since the 1880s. My great-great-grandfather [Samuel Thomas Hauser] was the seventh governor of Montana. So it was an honor to go back and do something in the state.

About his mother's (Cass Warner) lineage to the actual Warner brothers of the Warner Bros. entertainment dynasty
I didn't grow up in the industry or around it. I grew up in Oregon, Florida and Texas, and when I finally came back to California and started acting, my mom opened up and told me about my family and our history. Her family came from Russia and came to Newcastle, Pennsylvania, where they began producing talkies.

When getting into acting
During my freshman year of high school, I broke my knee playing soccer. A friend said, “You should come to this acting class.” And I thought, Well, there are a lot of pretty girls in it, so I'll do it. Three years later I was in front of the camera.

In his first film, 1992 school ties, alongside young colleagues Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris O'Donnell
Back then, no one was really a star or had done much, and we all got together in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was simply a dream performance. We really took it seriously and pushed each other to do the best work possible.

About contact with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck after filming Hunting for good will
They are like brothers. We all lived together for quite a while. And we ate a lot of pasta and macaroni and cheese. I think we can all make Top Ramen in about ten different ways.

On Rip Wheeler
We never thought Rip would be so popular! But I'm happy that the character touched so many people. Taylor wrote some wonderful scenes where you get to see all these colors, which is a dream come true for an actor. And the cool thing about Rip is that he has a big heart. But if you get in the way of him or the family, it's obviously over for you.

To view this story or any of the previous Parade cover stories, click here.

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Cole Hauser talks Yellowstone and more in Parade cover story (Photo: Business Wire)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal jury on Friday convicted a former Kentucky police officer of using excessive force against Breonna Taylor during a botched 2020 drug raid that left her dead.

The 12-member jury announced its verdict late last night after acquitting Brett Hankison earlier in the evening on charges that he used excessive force against Taylor's neighbors.

It is the first conviction of a Louisville police officer involved in the deadly raid.

Some members of the jury cried as the verdict was announced Friday around 9:30 p.m. They had previously told the judge in two separate messages that they were deadlocked over Taylor's use of excessive force allegation, but opted to continue deliberations. The jury of six men and six women deliberated for more than 20 hours over three days.

Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, celebrated the verdict with friends outside the Federal Court, saying: “It took a lot of time. It took a lot of patience. It was hard. The jury took the time to truly understand that Breonna deserves justice.”

Hankison fired ten shots at Taylor's glass door and window during the raid, but hit no one. A few shots were fired into a neighbor's apartment next door.

The 26-year-old Black woman's death, along with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, sparked nationwide protests against racial injustice.

A separate jury deadlocked on the federal charge against Hankison last year, while a jury acquitted Hankison in 2022 on the state's wanton endangerment charge.

Hankison's conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Hankison, 48, argued throughout the trial that he acted to protect his colleagues after Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot them as they broke down Taylor's door with a battering ram.

That jury had sent a note to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings on Thursday, asking whether she needed to know whether Taylor was alive when Hankison fired his shots.

That was a point of contention during closing arguments, when Hankison's attorney, Don Malarcik, told jurors that prosecutors must “prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Taylor was alive” when Hankison fired.

After the jury sent out the question, Jennings asked them to continue deliberating.

Walker shot and wounded one of the officers. Hankison testified that when Walker fired, he walked away, turned the corner of the unit and fired into Taylor's glass door and a window.

Meanwhile, officers at Walker's door returned fire, striking and killing Taylor, who was in a hallway.

Hankison's lawyers argued in their closing statements Wednesday that Hankison acted properly “in a very tense, very chaotic environment” that lasted about 12 seconds. They emphasized that Hankison's shots did not hit anyone.

Hankison was one of four officers charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2022 with violating Taylor's civil rights. So far, these allegations have resulted in only one conviction: a deal with a former officer who was not present at the raid and was a witness in another case.

Malarcik, Hankison's attorney, spoke at length during closing arguments about the role of Taylor's boyfriend in firing the shot that struck former Sgt. John Mattingly at the door. He said Walker never tried to come to the door or turn on the lights when police knocked, but instead armed himself and hid in the dark.

“Brett Hankison was 12 inches away from being shot by Kenneth Walker,” Malarcik said.

Prosecutors said Hankison acted recklessly, firing 10 shots at doors and a window where he couldn't see a target.

In their closing argument, they said Hankison had “violated one of the most basic rules of deadly force: If you can't see the person you're shooting at, you can't pull the trigger.”

None of the officers who shot Taylor — Mattingly and former Detective Myles Cosgrove — were charged in Taylor's death. Federal and prosecutors said those officers were justified in returning fire because Taylor's boyfriend shot at them first.

Breonna Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, center left, hugs a friend in Louisville, Kentucky, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, after a former Kentucky police officer was convicted in federal court of using excessive force when he fired his weapon during the fatal murder raid , which killed Taylor in 2020. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)

FILE – Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison describes what he saw at Brionna Taylor's apartment during testimony Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, Pool, File)

FILE – This photo provided by Louisville Metro Police shows Officer Brett Hankison. (Louisville Police Department via AP, File)