Stephen Amell Auditioned For A Dutton Ranch Role - And Predicted The Actor Who Got It
Stephen Amell wanted to add a villainous role to his bow after "Arrow," and auditioned for a part on one of the best neo-western shows, "Dutton Ranch." Unlike the Emerald Archer, he missed his shot, but he did correctly predict the actor who wound up on the show.
On an early 2026 episode of "Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum," Amell recalled doing a "Dutton Ranch" audition for the role of Rob-Will Jackson, the enforcer for 10 Petal Ranch. "I read the breakdown and I said 'I don't think I'm right for this, this feels like a Jai Courtney part.' I said that out loud." Despite his reservations, Amell said he "put together a great tape" and although he received good feedback, Paramount decided to go with Courtney.
Amell explained that he isn't bitter about losing the role because he didn't think he was right for it in the first place. Instead, he feels like it was a good thing his "instincts are correct," and he still made a good impression on the producers. While Amell isn't set to appear in the "Yellowstone" universe just yet, he'll next be seen on Fox's "Baywatch" reboot series opposite Jessica Belkin and Hassie Harrison.
Jai Courtney says there's a key to playing his likeable Dutton Ranch villain
Rob-Will Jackson is definitely one of the most dastardly characters in "Dutton Ranch" thanks to murdering wrangler Wes Ayers (Nakoa DeCoite), and trying to have his own brother assassinated. But "Dutton Ranch" star Jai Courtney revealed to Men's Journal that the key to playing an endearing villain is to just have fun.
"You can be unlikable fundamentally, I think, as a character, but if you're not having fun when that character's on screen, it's easy for the audience to check out," he explained. "I've played these kinds of morally ambiguous dudes a bunch of times. I've been punched in the head by the hero a million times. And I don't have a rule book around it, but I'll only play those parts if there's something that I can connect to and lets me have fun while I'm doing it."
Rob-Will is a key part of the drug-fueled conspiracy at the heart of 10 Petal Ranch, as it was revealed that the cartel was using the cattle to smuggle drugs from Mexico into Texas. Courtney said that audiences might be "challenged" by what he does for the ranch, but "I sure as hell want you to look forward to him being back on the screen."