Ed Harris, known for his role as John Dutton Sr. in the Yellowstone universe, has revealed he nearly decided to terminate his contract for the prequel series "Dutton Ranch." The actor felt "misled" about the significance and usage of his character, Everett McKinney, during the first season.
Speaking with Variety at the premiere of Apple TV's "The Dink," Harris stated that he was initially informed that McKinney would be one of four main characters. However, he found this not to be the case midway through the first season, leading to considerable frustration. "I was ready to say, ‘Get me the f**k out of here,’ to tell you the truth," Harris recounted. "I didn’t feel I was being used. I felt very misled."
Harris approached producers with his concerns, describing his character as "underused and inconsequential." While they acknowledged his feedback, the situation did not immediately improve. He has been assured, however, that McKinney will have a more substantial role in the upcoming second season, for which he is contracted.
Despite his on-set frustrations, Harris acknowledged that the final product of the first season was "pretty good" and that his character appeared relatively important to the narrative, even if the execution felt otherwise.
A particular point of contention for Harris was the decision to cut a scene where McKinney was meant to sing in a local bar. This was a detail he was reportedly told would be included before he signed on. "The thing that really pissed me off, to tell you the truth, is the first episode I think it was, or the second, one of the things they told me before I signed on was, ‘Hey, you get to sing a song in the bar,’" Harris explained. The scene, which involved his character preparing to sing, was cut, with producers citing that it was "too up" for the episode's "dark ending."
For Harris, this excised musical moment was "reason enough to say, ‘I’m voiding my contract.’" "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 is currently available for streaming on Paramount+, and production for Season 2 is slated to begin in February 2027.