Dutton Ranch Star Remembers Fearing Their Character Would Be Killed Off
Yellowstone‘s spinoff Dutton Ranch has everyone on edge, with some cast members worried they might be killed off.
“Honestly, I think that — aside from Beth and Rip — [everyone should be concerned]. At least for now, nobody knows,” Juan Pablo Raba, who portrays Joaquin, told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview.
Raba, 49, shared his own concerns about his character’s future on the series.
“When I received episode 6 and saw Chet approaching me with a gun, my immediate thought was, ‘Well, it was nice while it lasted,’” he joked. “I thought, ‘Wow, that was brief. But why didn’t anyone inform me? How rude.’”
He added: “You always hope for the best, wishing it will be a long run. But the truth is, you just never know. I really hope we can continue this for many seasons because I believe there’s so much story left to tell.”
Raba isn’t alone in fearing for his role on Dutton Ranch. In an exclusive chat with Us, Marc Menchaca expressed his concerns regarding his character Zachariah’s fate, stating, “It’s always a possibility—and I have a pretty solid history of saying goodbye on shows.”
Yellowstone first captured audiences’ attention in 2018, airing on the Paramount Network until its conclusion in 2024. The franchise expanded with Luke Grimes‘ CBS series Marshals and Dutton Ranch, which launched in May.
Dutton Ranch introduced new characters, including those played by Annette Bening and Ed Harris. Other fresh faces consist of Jai Courtney, Natalie Alyn Lind, J. R. Villarreal, along with Raba’s Joaquin.
“I appreciate how Taylor Sheridan crafts these universes where it’s really challenging to label someone as purely good or evil. We have our heroes, certainly, but when you look back — retrospectively — some of the actions they’ve taken might not be defined as noble,” he remarked. “But they remain our heroes and you empathize with them. I hope to convey that complexity with Joaquin, regardless of his path.”
Raba is optimistic about his character’s journey, expressing, “I hope to truly explore what can happen to someone who feels they’ve lost everything — even hope.”
The actor referred to the latest episode where Joaquin discovers he is no longer in line to take over 10 Petal Ranch.
“Imagine if you dedicated your entire life to one goal, without any family or romantic distractions. You have this singular focus, and then someone tells you no,” Raba explained to Us. “You wonder, ‘But why? I’ve done everything correctly.’ That must be the most heartbreaking moment of his life.”
He elaborated, “What comes next is bound to trigger a change in Joaquin that we haven’t seen yet — he’s in a situation where for the first time, he can’t fix it. Unsure of what to do next, he’ll resort to any means—using all resources available—to claim what he believes is rightfully his.”
Dutton Ranch airs Fridays on Paramount+.
