Ed Harris says he nearly quit ‘Dutton Ranch’ over cut scene

Ed Harris says he came close to walking away from the Taylor Sheridan-created “Yellowstone” spinoff “Dutton Ranch” after a musical scene he had filmed for the show’s first season was cut.

Mr. Harris, who plays veterinarian Everett McKinney in the series, told Variety he felt misled about the size of his role after being told before filming that his character was one of the show’s four leads. He said that wasn’t how things played out once cameras rolled.

Midway through the first season, Mr. Harris said he told his representatives to “get me the f—- out of here,” expressing frustration that his part felt smaller than promised.

The breaking point, Mr. Harris said, came when a scene in which his character sings at a bar was cut from the finished episode. He said he was told the scene was cut because it clashed tonally with the episode’s dark ending. Mr. Harris said the decision left him feeling it was “enough reason to say I’m voiding my contract.”

Despite the outburst, Mr. Harris remains signed on for two seasons of “Dutton Ranch,” and it’s unclear whether he’s seriously considering an exit. Looking back after watching the finished season, he said his perspective softened — he called the show “pretty good” and said his character ended up feeling relatively important to the story.

“Dutton Ranch” premiered on Paramount+ in May, following Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) as they leave Montana to build a new ranch in South Texas. The ensemble cast also includes Annette Bening, Finn Little, Juan Pablo Raba, Jai Courtney, J.R. Villarreal, Marc Menchaca and Natalie Alyn Lind.