The first time Yellowstone fans met Finn Little as Carter, he really was little – a Brisbane kid thrown into Taylor Sheridan’s wild, Western universe.
Now 20, the Aussie actor has saddled up again in spin-off Dutton Ranch, telling about the meaningful relationships that have come from the role.
“It’s been great,” he said. “I’ve made so many lifelong friends from the seasons I did on Yellowstone and now from this new season on Dutton Ranch. I’ve met so many beautiful people that I’ll be connected with for life.”
The one thing that made him nervous about Dutton Ranch
Despite being no stranger to TV sets, Little tells us that he did have some concerns about joining the cast, which includes Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, of Dutton Ranch.
“On Yellowstone, over those three years, everyone really became like family. They kept bringing back the same people, and you knew what to expect each time you went back,” he explains.
Like wth any group of people forced to spend hours on end together over several years, bonds form fast – especially when you’re in your formative years and having to be vulnerable on camera like Little was.
So when he first heard the new series would be introducing new characters and production crew, he admits he worried whether he’d find the same kind of tight-knit connections he’d built on Yellowstone.
“I was a little bit worried on Dutton Ranch that there’d be lots of new people and it would feel completely different,” he told us. “But I’m really happy there are so many good eggs on set. The crew is absolutely lovely. Being around those kinds of people is just awesome.”
The on-set surprise he didn’t see coming
He jokes that it “definitely wasn’t on [his] 2025 bingo card,” but one of the biggest surprises of Dutton Ranch came courtesy of a very familiar Aussie face.
“It’s great. I was very surprised to see him,” Little says of reuniting with Jai Courtney, his former co-star from 2019’s Storm Boy.
Courtney, many may recognise fromSuicide Squad or A Good Day to Die Hard, joins the franchise for the first time in this new series, playing Rob-Will Jackson in the series, the main antagonist to Carter and his adoptive parents, Beth and Rip.
“I hadn’t talked to him for a little while before I saw him on one of my first days in Texas,” recalls Little. “I didn’t know he was there; I didn’t know they’d cast him. I was shocked, but really happy we got to reunite.”
On being “handpicked” by Taylor Sheridan for the role
Little wasn’t always waltzing around Hollywood sets with A-listers like Kevin Costner, but it definitely didn’t take him long to get there, being just 14 when he landed the part of his troubled character on Yellowstone.
After filming with Taylor Sheridan on Those Wish Me Dead in 2019 before its 2021 release, Little clearly left a lasting impression on the acclaimed showrunner, prompting Sheridan to create a character perfectly suited for him.
“Working with Taylor on Those Wish Me Dead was great. He was a fantastic director. He brought me over to Yellowstone and actually wrote the part of Carter for me, which was the opportunity of a lifetime – just to be part of this le universe. I love Taylor,” he told.
It’s an aforementioned “universe” that has become worth over USD $3 billion with a broad appeal across male, female, old, young, conservative and liberal audiences. There’s something about the franchise (or can we now call it an empire?) that gets people sucked in to its world and all its spinoffs.
For Little, it also became a significant chapter of his career and a coming-of-age story that he’s very happy to be a part of once again.
“This franchise is so meaningful. I’ve really grown up through Yellowstone, from Season 4 to 5 and now into this new chapter,” he says. “I’m very happy to be back at it and continuing on with this character. I think people are going to be really happy.”
(Stream Dutton Ranch on Paramount+)
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