The Hilarious Way Jake Ream Almost Cost Himself His Job On Yellowstone
Over the course of its four season run on Paramount Network, "Yellowstone" has earned legions of hardcore fans, scored truly jaw-dropping ratings numbers (via Deadline), and made series creator Taylor Sheridan one of the most sought after talents in Hollywood. The series has, of course, also been praised by viewers far and wide for its mostly accurate, if understandably sensationalized, depiction of how modern cowboys and ranchers work and live (per Stuff).
That last part is no doubt a particular point of pride for Sheridan as he, and several of his "Yellowstone" cast members (including songsmith-turned-actor Ryan Bingham), came of age living some variation of life the series explores. Sheridan has also employed several real-life cowboys as consultants on "Yellowstone" to ensure that, as much as possible, what his cast and crew are doing on a day to day basis is not only safe, but authentic. And yes, a couple of those cowboys have ended up with roles on the show.
That includes Jake Ream, who first saddled up for Sheridan as a consultant for the first season of "Yellowstone," only to earn an on-camera role as Dutton Ranch hand Jake soon after. But according to Ream, a hilarious encounter ahead of Season 1's production left him thinking he might've talked himself out of the kush gig before he really got his foot in the door.
Ream thought an early interaction with a Yellowstone star might've cut his series tenure short
Jake Ream discussed his path to joining the cast of "Yellowstone" in a refreshingly candid behind-the-scenes interview back in 2021. During the course of that interview, Ream admitted he had no idea who Taylor Sheridan was when the multi-hyphenate filmmaker bought a horse from him a few years back. Seems he and Sheridan hit it off, however, with the latter offering Ream a consultant gig on "Yellowstone" not long after.
That gig put Ream in contact with an impressive cast of Hollywood talent, including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and, of course, screen legend Kevin Costner. As Ream notes, he was in charge of whipping much of the series' cast into shape during a days-long cowboy camp early in production. Costner was not in attendance, however, as he's become an experienced rider himself during his storied career (per Cheat Sheet). It turns out that not training Costner put Ream in a dodgy position when he first met the actor, as he apparently didn't recognize him.
Per Ream, "Him [Costner] and Taylor rode down in the truck and he introduced himself and said, 'So what do you do for a living?'" Ream told the actor he was a horse trainer, a farmer, and a rancher. He says he then turned to Costner and asked the same question. Costner apparently took a moment to process the question, leading Ream to think he'd offended the legendary actor. Thankfully the notoriously down-to-earth star took the moment in stride with Ream adding, "He started laughing and slapped me on the back and said 'We're gonna get along just fine. So it ended up being a good thing." With Ream continuing to earn screen time alongside Costner on "Yellowstone," that's turned out to be a very good thing indeed.