‘Yellowstone’ stars boldly ‘continue the journey’

Cole Hauser is a straight shooter. Ask him how a 49-year-old man feels after a day in the saddle and the “Yellowstone” star waxes poetic.

“I grew up in Oregon riding at 4 years old,” he says. “I call those early mornings on a horse in Montana (on the set) with the sun coming up some of the most inspiring moments of my life.”

How about in his midlife?

“Six months in the saddle and you’re in perfect horse shape,” he jokes. “There just might be an ice bath involved here and there because your back hurts. Your arm hurts from the roping. But that’s the great thing about getting older: Your body remembers. You work on it and those muscles turn back on. The next thing you know you can ride all day.”

No horses today. Or bolo ties. Hauser has traded in the denim and boots. He’s a city slicker in a black suit and no cowboy hat during a media stop in New York City to talk about filming the final episodes and epic finale of “Yellowstone,” airing Sundays on the Paramount Network.

“There is an energy to this season that’s dramatic and intense,” says Hauser, who plays rogue cowboy/devoted lover Rip Wheeler.

His co-star Kelly Reilly, Hauser’s on-screen wife as unstoppable force Beth Dutton, divulges, “There is the biggest fight on their hands right now, and it’s coming to a crescendo.”

As for this fifth season, the 47-year-old says, “There is so much meat on the bone. You know these characters so well. You’ve become connected to them. Let’s continue the journey.”

Reilly and Hauser offer their good life tips — in and out of the saddle:

Define happiness

Will Rip and Beth have a happy ending when “Yellowstone” rides off into the sunset? “It’s a great question,” Hauser hedges. “I guess you have to define happy,” Reilly adds. “What is happiness to them? Is it lying down in their meadow and relaxing and not having to fight anyone. I don’t know.”

Be a role model

Hauser’s Rip has become quite the TV icon. “Women name their babies after him. People have tats of his name now,” Hauser says. “The fans are passionate.” What is Rip’s appeal? “He’s a lover. He’s a good person. He’s loyal as hell,” he reasons. “I always thought I would affect guys with this role because my audience has been guys. But it’s amazing to hear how much women like Rip.”

Souvenirs

Once an antihero cowboy, always an antihero cowboy. “Look, I am 49,” Hauser says. “I played football when I was a kid. I’ve broken my back. I’ve had a torn labrum. A lot of injuries build up over the years, but that’s not the worst part of aging. I prefer to think of it as souvenirs of living.”

Believe in love

Rip and Beth show that a middle-age love story can excite a fan base. “From the beginning, (show creator) Taylor Sheridan told us how he was interested in a good love story, a solid relationship where two adults fight to stay in love without falling out of love,” Reilly says. Their palpable chemistry is simple, she adds. “It works because it feels true. They’ve proven that they accept each other truly for who they are, which is a benefit of being older,” she observes. “That’s really beautiful. … We all want to be seen by that other person. Really seen, accepted and loved.”

Simple moments

Reilly says one of her favorite scenes between Rip and Beth was when he cooks her breakfast. “It’s a wonderful moment because she’d never had anyone make her breakfast,” Reilly says. “He watches her eat. It’s such a small act of kindness that brings me to tears. In fact, the script said: ‘Beth smiles and tears run down her face.’ They’re both touched by the simplicity of kindness and caring. It’s quite moving and something we can do for each other in real life every single day.”

Training partners

Hauser says that working out at the same time or in the same gym with his wife, actress Cynthia Daniel, has proved inspiring — and keeps him on track. “We work out basically every single day, and a lot of the time we do it together. It just becomes part of your lifestyle,” he says. “The idea is to motivate each other to do something active and physical.” They hike and run together or train in the gym. He says that at this age, not working out is his enemy. “If I skip it, my knee hurts. Even if you spend half an hour moving you will feel better.”

Time to chill

During the long break when “Yellowstone” wasn’t in production, Reilly and Hauser made sure to find time to decompress. He loves to start a day slowly with coffee (and even has his own coffee company, Free Rein, which donates proceeds to military and veteran communities). Reilly and her husband, Kyle Baugher, split their time between England and New York. “My stress relief is a national park near my home with trees and rivers and places to hike,” she shares.

Love where you are

Hauser says he’ll never forget his time in Montana. “I like to say that Montana is the best office in the world.” Reilly adds, “We have real cowboys, and the horses are so well trained. It’s so authentic and beautiful. Beth doesn’t ride much, but the best days that I’ll remember filming were on a horse. Talk about a pinch-me moment.”

Fight another day

Paramount has announced the possibility of further sequels and prequels to the Dutton story. One rumor has Beth and Rip as the lead characters in a sixth season of “Yellowstone.” “It’s out of our hands,” Reilly says with a laugh. Hauser just smiles that Rip smile.