Without the signature cowboy hat, black beard and sunglasses, Buccaneers fans might not have immediately recognized actor Cole Hauser at NFL games in Tampa this past season, but the fan favorite from Paramount’s “Yellowstone” will assure you: This cowboy is a Bucs fan.

Hauser, 47, has been starring in movies for 30 years, but playing ranch foreman Rip Wheeler on the popular Kevin Costner-led western might be his most memorable role. Rip is a lover and a fighter on the show, showing his fierce loyalty and a Bruce Arians level of commitment to profanity. As he was getting ready to head back to Montana to shoot the series’ fifth season, he took time this spring to talk with The Athletic about how he came to be a Bucs fan, his show’s still-growing following and his own football history, both as a player growing up and now as a father.

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The Bucs have picked up a lot of new fans in the past couple years since Tom Brady’s arrival, but you go back much further than that. How did you become a Bucs fan?

I grew up from the age of 6 to about 10 in Tampa Bay, in Clearwater. Obviously they weren’t very good back then. It was during the John McKay era. They were pretty bad. My stepdad, who I lived with down there, he took me to the Raiders-Washington Super Bowl (in Tampa in 1984). That was kind of my first introduction. I’m a diehard Raider, but I’ve always had a big affinity for Tampa Bay, even when they beat us in the Super Bowl, because of Jon Gruden. I’ve always been a closet Bucs fan. They’ve had a couple of really great seasons, and I’m obviously on top of the world right now.

Did you get to many Bucs games when you were growing up down here?

I went to two or three games, and I think the total score was about 63-4.

You and your family moved to Florida last summer, and this past season you went to three Bucs games, wins against the Eagles and Giants and the playoff game against the Rams. What sparked that?

First of all, my children, they’re all athletes, so they love football. They love all sporting events. We went to a Tampa Bay Lightning game as well recently that (Lightning defenseman) Erik Cernak invited us to. Just as a family, we love going to sporting events and Tampa will always have a piece of my heart, growing up there as a kid. I wanted them to experience it. And they have the greatest quarterback in the history of football and some other wonderful players as well. To be able to see Tom, I thought last year was going to be his last year. Obviously I’m excited that he’s coming back and we can go see them win another championship.

Game is going be amazing @colehauser is here doing an intro. I knew RIP was a Bucs fan #YellowstoneTV #rip #Bucs

— joeyHBQ (@quack1011) November 23, 2021

Did you have any interaction with Bucs players or coaches at the games you attended?

Because of COVID and all that, no, I didn’t. There was an opportunity to do a commercial thing (voiceover work on a game trailer with fellow avid horse rider Devin White), but we never got together to do it. We’re hoping for next year and COVID will be a little more lenient and we’ll be able to do it.

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How much of the year are you able to spend in Florida versus shooting “Yellowstone” in Montana?

I’m just enjoying the last month, month and a half, and then we’ll go back to Montana and start up Season 5 (which will begin airing in November). Typically it’s about 4 1/2 months (there), from start to finish. Sometimes a little bit longer, sometimes a little bit less. It depends on the weather.

The Bucs-Giants game was a “Salute to Service” military appreciation game. I know you work with the Special Ops Warrior Foundation, which works to provide fully funded education for all children of special operations personnel lost in the line of duty, as well as all children of Medal of Honor recipients. How’d you get involved with that?

A good friend of mine, Jay Lynch. Two-star Maj. Gen. (retired) Clay Hutmacher introduced us, and we hit it off. I went up to North Carolina for a small event they had and visited with some of the soldiers at Fort Bragg, and he asked me to come and be a part of it, be on the board and raise awareness. I’ve done a lot of different charities for veterans and disabled veterans, and this is one I thought was a wonderful charity. It’s been around for 41 years, and anybody in any branch who gets wounded or killed overseas, it’s taking care of their family, their kids from kindergarten to college. Education is a big opportunity for a young man or young woman, and if they were to lose a parent. It’s a wonderful cause.

During Week 11's Salute to Service game against the Giants, the @Buccaneers selected SOWF President and CEO, MG (Ret) @ClayHutmacher, as their Hero of the Game! Some of our SOWF family members were joined by SOWF Board Member, @colehauser, to cheer the Bucs on to victory! 🏴‍☠️🏈🇺🇸

— Special Operations Warrior Foundation (@SOFWarriorFnd) December 8, 2021

You mentioned your kids — sons Ryland and Colt and daughter Steely Rose — all play sports. Did you play much growing up?

I did. Anything with a ball. I loved football. Soccer was a big sport out in Cali when I played there. Basketball. The only sport I didn’t really love was baseball. That was boring. In football, I played all over the place. I played tight end, I played defensive end. I was pretty fast, so they ended up moving me later in high school in Santa Barbara to strong safety. On offense, I got to play a little receiver but mostly tight end. Ryland’s playing high school ball (as a 6-foot-5 receiver) and Colt’s right behind him; he’s 13, so he has one more year of junior high. Ryland has his eye on playing in college. This next year will be his senior year, and there’s some interest from different schools around the country.

When you guys are shooting the show in Montana, are there big sports fans among the other actors in the cast?

Denim Richards (ranch hand Colby on the show) and Ian Bohen (ranch hand Ryan), we battle in tennis. We’re not very good, though. We get out there and compete as best we can. It’s a sport I’m not very good at, but we have fun. Denim’s a hell of an athlete, and so is Ian. Denim could still play ball. He’s fast. He can jump out of the building. He’s a hell of an athlete. Ian is a big baseball fan, a San Francisco Giants fan; Denim I know is a football and basketball fan.

Tell me about “Yellowstone,” and why you think it’s found such success and such a following with fans in the last four years.

There are a lot of reasons. When you start something grassroots, like Yellowstone was, I think it started as not a huge show, but it’s grown out, from the interior of the country and now seemingly it’s touched the edges in Los Angeles and New York. I think the writing is spectacular. Taylor Sheridan is one of those great writers not only for men but for women. You have a wonderful leader in Kevin Costner, who’s made a living in the last 40 years doing great westerns. I think the cast itself: Kelly Reilly’s outstanding, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham, Jefferson White, Forrie J. Smith. The list goes on. I think it’s one of those things where sometimes you just catch fire. This is one of those shows. It has struck a chord in America.

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You’ve had a lot of roles in a lot of movies and shows, including Billy in “Good Will Hunting” with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and as Benny in “Dazed and Confused” and Jack Connors in “School Ties” as a teenager before that. Did you know Rip would become such a popular character?

I don’t think you can ever know those kind of things. I thought he was an amazing character, and I worked with Taylor and talked a lot about the growth of him. We’ve put in a lot of time and effort. He’s been acknowledged for it, and so have I.

A man of few (but often wise) words. #YellowstoneTV

— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) June 3, 2021

Is there an inspiration for you in what you look for in Rip, to make him who he is?

He has a lot of levels to him, a lot of colors. Each and every year, it’s about re-creating yourself. What we’ve done with him, at least through the four years, is each year you get to see something different in his own heart and the way he approaches certain things. Taylor’s been great about him not becoming stagnant and stale. It’s always the goal each year, to make sure you’re bringing something new to the table.

With Rip, you’re all bearded up, you have the sunglasses, the hat and the jacket. (Fans will search to find Rip Wheeler’s exact pair of shades, and can buy the exact hat from Greeley Hat Works for $589). Do you stay in character for four months out there and get back to looking like your usual self the rest of the year?

I shave my beard and cut my hair pretty short after I’m done. It’s been bad. It feels good. I don’t mind the kind of Afro I guess, but after a little while, especially here in Florida, it gets a little hot. So I’m shaving the beard off and it feels good.

How long does it take to get the beard up to Rip standards?

About three months, probably.

We went out to Yellowstone National Park last year, really enjoyed it, and even as you get toward summer, it seems like there’s never an oppressive heat or anything too humid out there.

It’s perfect. It’s like 75, 80 degrees. I don’t think it’s ever gotten past 90.

As a Bucs fan, what was the Brady retirement drama like for you, processing that he might really be gone, then finding out he was coming back for another year?

It’s funny. We were there to see the last game, and sitting in the suite, watching him run off the field, and thought, “Man, there’s no way this is his last game.” Then, of course, the news came out that he’s going to retire. I just didn’t buy into it. I kept telling Clay Hutmacher, who’s a huge fan, and my children: He’s not done, he’s not done. It just didn’t feel right. Thank God he decided to come back. I hope he’s healthy throughout the year, and they re-signed (receiver Chris) Godwin and hopefully he can come back healthy. I know they signed Leonard Fournette. He’s great. There’s a lot of great pieces, and I think if they were healthy last year, I think they beat the Rams and go on and win the Super Bowl.

Are there other Bucs players that are your favorites beyond Brady?

I really love Godwin. I think he’s the blue-collar, get-it-done kid. He’s not afraid to go across the middle. He’s tough as nails. To me, he’s one of the best pieces on that team. … I love Fournette; I’ve been watching him since (his) LSU (days) and he’s an unbelievable player. Defensively, there are some monsters that have been fantastic. They just need to stay healthy. It’s a fun time at their games.

A bit stiff, but still got soft hands 😂 amazing weekend with the family! Great meeting @tombrady @gronk two of the very best as people first! And as football players 2nd.

— Cole Hauser (@colehauser) April 3, 2022

You have a movie, “Panama,” with Mel Gibson, out, with two more with Morgan Freeman now in post-production. What’s next for you after you wrap Season 5 of “Yellowstone?”

There are a lot of projects that I’m working on that are my own. We’ll probably work until close to the end of the year, and then from there, I’ll kind of see. I might direct this film called “The Westies.” I might do another show about the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. I’m very excited about that. I co-wrote that with this wonderful writer, Jack Evans. There’s a lot to do. Some are big, some are a little smaller, but I’m excited about them.

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Have you encountered any other Bucs fans in acting circles over the years?

A lot of my friends, when I moved to California, they were Raiders fans because they were in Los Angeles at the time, or they were Rams fans because they were in Anaheim, or San Fran or whatever. I used to get a lot of crap from my friends about how I was a Bucs fan. They’re like, “They will never, ever win a Super Bowl. For as long as you live, they’re not going to win.” And I’d be like “No, no, no, no. Everything’s going to turn. You’ll see.” And finally, they changed their jerseys. The old Creamsicle jerseys, they just couldn’t get it right. Then they went into the ones they have now and they’ve been fantastic ever since.

And when they played the Raiders in the Super Bowl in 2002, you were pulling for the Raiders then?

Yeah. You have to understand, there was a little more conflict. (Former Raiders owner) Al Davis said to Jon Gruden, who I think is one of the great coaches of all time: “We don’t need you. Screw off.” So he went to Tampa Bay, and he basically knew all the plays because he built that offense, and John Lynch and (Derrick) Brooks, they knew what all the play calls were. So it was a tough game for me and a few of my buddies. At the same time, if somebody’s going to beat the Raiders, at least it’s Jon Gruden. He shouldn’t have been tossed like that to Tampa. I thought that was a bad move by Al Davis.

(Photo: Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)