With just season four of Yellowstone as the lone reference, we all know Carter (Finn Little) as the pudgy little kid that was taken in by Beth Dutton to learn the ways of ranching, after he was orphaned.
Carter has quickly become a fan favorite on the show, as we all got to watch him evolve into manhood throughout the season, and it was equally intriguing to watch Beth slowly adapt to motherhood, whether she realized it or not.
But then she told him she could never be his mom, he cried, and we all hated her for it…
However, back in September, Finn Little, who plays Carter, posted a picture to his Instagram account, and the guy doesn’t even look like the same person.
Of course, Little is 16-years-old now and in the midst of puberty, so you knew a big change was only inevitable, but Yellowstone fans alike were bewildered by the picture.
Not to mention, the cast is as well, and we’re talking about Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler) himself.
Hauser recently spoke with ET Online to discuss the distinct physical appearance change in Little, and needless to say, he was shocked himself.
He told Rachel Smith:
“That boy’s looking me in the eye… I don’t know what he’s eating in Australia.
He went from, like, a little pudgy kid to all of the sudden lean and tall, and I think he’s 6-foot-1. He came in this year and he looked at me and he’s like, ‘You ain’t gonna f*ck with me this year, Cole.'”
He also said Little came in talkin’ some shit too when they began filming season five:
“And I said, ‘Let me tell you something, I’ll still punch you in your throat, and I don’t give a sh*t.'”
Hauser also weighed in on what we can expect of Rip and Carter’s relationship in season five:
“It’s interesting the way that Taylor wrote it. It’s been kind of a slow crawl and he certainly hasn’t given Carter any breaks. In (season) four it was tough love.
This year, there’s a little bit more of like me kind of opening up. But he’s also doing great things, you know what I mean? He’s learning and he’s failing while he learns, but at least he’s trying.
So, I think Taylor wrote it really well where Finn and I, the actor, can kind of slowly walk the dog this year.”
He also gave us a glimpse at what we can expect between the newly married Rip and Beth in season five:
“It’s never really bliss, you know? But it’s an interesting season in the sense of (Yellowstone creator) Taylor (Sheridan) wrote some really wonderful stuff; some really heartfelt stuff. A little bit of the past.
You just get to see more into their past as young adults and teenagers. They did a great job, the actors and actresses they were phenomenal.”
Yellowstone season five is slated to premiere on Sunday, November 13th.
Cole Hauser Says Rip Could See Carter As A Son In Yellowstone Season 5
With Yellowstone Season 5 around the corner, let’s take a look at some emerging plot lines.
The Season 4 Finale answered some of our questions (goodbye Garrett Randall), but we still have a ton more.
Yellowstone Season 4 brought in a number of new characters, including Will Patton’s Garrett Randall, AKA Jamie’s biological father, but as we saw in the finale, he won’t be making it to Season 5.
Other characters include Summer Higgins, who’s looking at a long time in state prison, Caroline Warner, the CEO of Market Equities (we’re definitely gonna be hearing from her next season), and then Carter, the kid that Beth and Rip reluctantly take under their wing.
As far as the future of the show goes, I think Carter’s story is the most compelling.
After some ups and downs, the Season Finale found Carter left in tears after he called Beth “mama,” and she told him not to. It was a brutal moment, one that pissed a lot of fans off, and one that Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) addressed herself.
But will there come a time when Rip and Beth will start to see him as a son?
According to Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler, that moment could come as soon as next season:
“I think there’s potential for it. I mean, you know, Rip, as you’ve seen throughout the years, he’s tough love. And I think the thing with him is it takes time. I think that’s just who he is.
And I think, over time it might not be Season 4, might be Season 5, but you might see that. I mean, it’s really up to Taylor.”
But whether Rip winds up calling him “son” or not, Carter (Finn Little) is definitely important to his growth as a character:
“It just shows another side of not only of Beth, but Rip, and also the ranch, and John Dutton… it’s this new character that’s necessary for their growth of their relationship as well.”
And as far as Cole’s favorite scene from Season 4, none other than his man-to-man chat with Carter:
“I love the scene with Carter when I open the door and he’s sitting there and that conversation about life.
I think it says not only a lot of what Rip believes in but also the mentality that it takes to survive not only in life, but at the ranch.”
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…
Of course, with wisdom like this, I’m sure Carter will grow up into a fine young man…
For more from Cole on Yellowstone Season 4, check out his entire interview with Entertainment Tonight:
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Yellowstone Season 5: Orli Gottesman To Play Carter’s Love Interest
With Yellowstone Season 5 premiering next month, we’re still learning about new characters being added to the show.
Of course, country music’s own Lainey Wilson will make her acting debut in Season 5, joining fellow country music singer Ryan Bingham among the cast.
We know Angela Blue Thunder will make her return in Season 5, after being weirdly absent in Season 4, as will Josh Lucas, (who returns for the first time since 2019 as young John Dutton), as well as Kylie Rogers (playing a young Beth Dutton) and Kyle Red Silverstein (playing a young Rip Wheeler), who both last appeared in 2020.
Jacki Weaver (Caroline Warner) will also return, along with new recurring characters Kai Caster (American Horror Story), Lilli Kay (Your Honor and Rustin), and Dawn Olivieri (1883, Bright and House of Lies).
Mo Brings Plenty (Mo) Wendy Moniz (Governor Lynelle Perry), Jen Landon (Teeter), and Kathryn Kelly (Emily) have been promoted to series regulars for Season 5, as well.
And now, we have another star to add into the mix.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Orli Gottesman will take on the role of Halie, the love interest of young Carter:
“In season 5, Halie becomes that person who gives Carter the chance to come out of his shell and to teach him not only about himself, but he finds himself always wanting Halie to be around.
Halie comes along and now there is someone who can fit that mold and be there for him.”
Cole Hauser adds that Carter will have Rip to help him navigate the confusing world of romance:
“Finn Little and I, we have some good stuff this year. I’m becoming more of, I guess, a father figure to him, although he’s growing up fast.
And so there’s that relationship, which has been very cool to see blossom.”
Rip and Beth are married, Jimmy got engaged, John Dutton might be getting conjugal with Summer (although as Governor of Montana, I imagine a pardon is coming right out the gate), and now, even young Carter is finding love.
What could go wrong?
My guess… everything.
We’ll see how it all shakes out come November when Yellowstone returns Sunday, November 13th on Paramount Network.
Kelly Reilly Says Season 5 Will Not Be The Last
Yellowstone is the hottest show on television right now, Kevin Costner is the highest paid actor on television right now, and yet, fans are constantly wondering… when will it end?
After a bit of a slow Season 4, fans started to wonder if the show will meander around for a few seasons to milk the popularity for everything its worth. But rest assured, they’re not gonna pull a Walking Dead.
And that’s a good thing.
Anybody who started watching The Walking Dead right at the beginning was obsessed with it. But 11 season later, it got stale, viewership dropped, and it’s ultimately remembered for being the show that didn’t know when to end.
So with Yellowstone hitting the peak of its popularity right now, creator Taylor Sheridan is letting fans know that his show won’t be repeating the same mistakes.
In fact, according to an interview with the New York Times, the end is actually in sight.
“Well, I know how it ends. I’m writing to that ending. There’s only so much hovering one can do before the story starts to lose its locomotion; you can’t put it in neutral just because it’s successful.
It will go as many years as it takes for me to tell the story, but you’re not going to see nine seasons of it. No way.”
He echoed that sentiment in a previous interview with Deadline, hinting that show could possibly conclude after Season 6, which might be sooner than fans want, but there’s no sense in dragging the story out for the sake of more seasons (looking at you How I Met Your Mother).
“Well, I know how it ends. I know how the series ends, and you have to move in a straight line toward that end. You can’t walk in circles, waiting to get there, because the show will stagnate.
So, you have to keep moving forward, and there have to be consequences in the world, and there has to be an evolution toward a conclusion. Can that be another two seasons beyond this? It could.”
So, with Season 5 already in production, and the end of the story in sight… could this be the last season?
Kelly Reilly, who plays the ultimate badass Beth Dutton, says no.
In an interview with Vulture, Kelly confirmed that Season 5 is in fact, not the end of Yellowstone, despite what people might be thinking.
“People keep saying, ‘Is it the end? It must be the end… it’s not the end.”
Seems like 6 or 7 seasons might be the lifespan of this show, and since they’ve been using it to launch other prequels and spinoffs, Taylor Sheridan has no shortage of work on his hands.
So even when Yellowstone does inevitably end, it seems like the Yellowstone universe will live on.
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And if you’re as stoked as I am for the music of Season 5, you MUST be following our Yellowstone: The Soundtrack playlist, available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Featuring EVERY SINGLE SONG from the series, we make sure we update it in real time, so every Sunday night, all the new stuff is right there.
