‘Dutton Ranch’ Star Juan Pablo Raba Thought His Yellowstone Spinoff Character Was Getting Killed Off

The danger in the Yellowstone universe is always real, and even the actors do not know if their characters will survive. Juan Pablo Raba, who plays Joaquin in the Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch, recently admitted that he was convinced his time on the show might be ending sooner than expected.

During an interview with Us Weekly, Raba opened up about the uncertainty that comes with being part of Taylor Sheridan’s world, where unexpected deaths have become a major part of the storytelling.

“Look, I think that — except for Beth and Rip — [should be worried]. At least right now, nobody knows,” Raba said, referring to the unpredictable future of characters in the series.

The actor explained that he had one particular moment when he thought he was about to be written out of the show. While reading the script for episode 6, he saw a scene involving another character, Chet, approaching him with a gun.

“When I got episode 6 and I opened the page and I see Chet walking to me with a gun, my first thought was, ‘Well, it was nice while it lasted,’” Raba told Us Weekly.

He joked that he was surprised no one warned him if his character was going to die.

“I was like ‘God, it was so short. But why didn’t they call me? That’s rude.’”

Although Joaquin survived that moment, Raba said he still does not take his future on the show for granted. He hopes the character gets more time because he believes there is much more of Joaquin’s story left to explore.

“You hope for the best and you hope it’s going to be a long run. But you really don’t know. I really hope we can really work this for many seasons because I think there’s so much story to tell,” he said.

Raba is not the only Dutton Ranch actor who has worried about being killed off. Marc Menchaca, who plays Zachariah, also spoke with Us Weekly about the possibility of his character meeting a dangerous end.

“It’s always a possibility — and I have a pretty good track record of saying bye bye on a show,” Menchaca said.

The Yellowstone franchise has become known for shocking twists and emotional character exits. The original series introduced fans to the Dutton family in 2018 before ending in 2024. Since then, the universe has continued expanding with new projects, including Dutton Ranch.

The spinoff brings in new characters played by actors such as Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Jai Courtney and Natalie Alyn Lind. Raba’s Joaquin has quickly become one of the characters fans are watching closely.

Speaking about Joaquin’s place in the story, Raba praised creator Taylor Sheridan’s ability to write complicated characters who are not simply good or bad.

“I love this about Taylor Sheridan and the universes that he creates where it’s really hard to say that somebody’s good or bad,” Raba said. “We have our heroes, of course but if you go back — in retrospective — some of the things they’ve done I would not consider to be very good. But they’re still our heroes and you understand them.”

The actor hopes viewers will continue to understand Joaquin, especially as the character faces a major personal setback. Joaquin recently discovered that he was no longer next in line to run 10 Petal Ranch, leaving him questioning everything he has worked toward.

Raba explained that losing that goal could change Joaquin completely.

“Imagine if you work all your life toward one goal and you don’t have a family and you don’t care about romantic relationships. You have this one single goal in your head and they tell you no,” he said.

For now, Joaquin’s journey continues, but as fans of the Yellowstone universe know, nobody is ever completely safe.

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