Cole Hauser was never expecting Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton to become the fan favorites on Yellowstone.
The onscreen couple, played by Hauser, 49, and Kelly Reilly, are beloved, but when asked if he would have predicted that when the show first started in 2018, the actor told PEOPLE, “Oh God, no.”
“I’d be lying if I [said] I did,” Hauser said at the New York City premiere for the long-awaited final episodes of the Paramount series on Nov. 7.
“The last seven years, to see the response that the two have gotten — the love letters that we’ve received. I never thought it would happen,” he added.
Hauser said it’s “an honor to be able to affect people that way” as he shared a particularly sweet — and unexpected — part of the fan’s love for him and Reilly, 47.
“I’m still a little bit taken aback that people are dressing up on Halloween as us and our characters,” he admitted. “I saw a little kid the other day that came running up, and he had the shades on, black hat, black shirt, jacket.”
Speaking to the final episodes, which fans have been waiting for since season 5’s mid-season finale aired in January 2023, Hauser said, “I’m excited for the secret to finally be over, so they can see what we’ve been doing for the last six months.”
“I hope that they love it. And, you know, maybe there’ll be more. Maybe they’re wrong. But if this is it, then it’s been one hell of a ride.”
Reilly told PEOPLE that she and the cast approached the final episodes wanting to “lay it all out there” as they conclude this chapter of the Dutton family’s story.
“There were moments where we would all just look around and just appreciate the moment, the beautiful day or the situation that just happened … you would go, ‘Well, this might be the last time we get to do this.’ So there was a savoring,” she said.
“It was like, ‘Let’s just give it your whole heart and give these characters and the show the ending that they deserve,'” she said. “And the fans, because people have gone on such an adventure with us.”
It’s also possible that Yellowstone’s finale won’t be the finale for Rip and Beth, as news broke this summer that negotiations have been underway for a sixth season led by the two characters.
Deadline reported in August that Hauser and Reilly were in talks to return and lead a potential season 6, despite season 5 being previously confirmed as the final installment.
Yellowstone returns Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Paramount Network.