Yellowstone Photographer Talks Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly’s Bond

Yellowstone’s on-set photographer Emerson Miller has watched Taylor Sheridan’s hit Western drama series unfold since day one, and now that season 5 has come to an end, he’s reflecting on what it was like to witness television history in the making.

In an exclusive interview, Miller, 34, praised Sheridan, 54, for trusting him to capture every special moment on Yellowstone since its 2018 premiere. “It changed so many people’s lives, and that’s the beauty of it, because we all know [Yellowstone] was the first step on the train,” the photographer told Us. “Everybody that was a part of it were like, ‘This is the crew, this is the team, we got this.’”

Miller’s love for photography began when he relocated to Los Angeles from Brazil, and he received a letter from UCLA offering photography courses. He learned the craft and eventually landed in the fashion photography industry, where a mutual friend introduced him to “one of the most beautiful women on earth” — Sheridan’s wife, Nicole Sheridan.

The two sparked up a friendship and, eventually, Miller became a trusted confidant in her and Taylor’s inner circle. According to Miller, the couple “truly changed the course of my life before Yellowstone, just [with] their friendship and their guidance.”

“Taylor is one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met,” Miller added. “When he loves someone or when he cares about a cause, he literally gives everything he can to help. He’s involved with so many charities in Texas and never wants to take the credit for it.”

Miller has also worked on most of Sheridan’s other hit series — including 1883, 1923 and Landman — but Yellowstone will always be a turning point in his career. “There’s so many shows [now, so] all of the crew is a little separated,” he explained. “But when you say ‘Oh, I’m season one Yellowstone,’ people are like, wow.”

In the gripping season 5 finale, Beth (Kelly Reilly) ruthlessly killed Jamie (Wes Bentley) to avenge the death of her father John (Kevin Costner, who departed the show ahead of season 5). Behind the scenes, however, the final days of filming were more bittersweet.

“There’s this one moment where we’re shooting a scene at the bunkhouse, and [Reilly] was like, ‘Guys, this is our last scene together,’” Miller explained. “It was two days before we left Montana to go to Texas, so it felt like a wrap on the show, because we’ve been in Montana for seven years.”

“So we all walk out and some of the bunkhouse [scenes had] wrapped and I was like, this is the moment that we need to take a picture, so we all go on the fence,” Miller, who also worked on the Angelina Jolie-starring Those Who Wish Me Dead, continued. “It was [at] that moment that it was like, ‘This is it,’ and some people cried.”

By the end of season 5, Beth and Rip (Cole Hauser) relocated to a new ranch in Montana with Carter (Finn Little). As rumors of a spinoff for the characters continue to circulate, Miller says there is true “beauty” in the actors’ real-life friendship.

“Their connection off-camera is like, ‘We got each other’s back, we know that this is beautiful, how can we work together to translate that?’” Miller said of Hauser, 49, and Reilly, 47. “Even when they call cut, they have conversations. They worry about the translation of how [to] make this a beautiful piece of art because they truly care from the heart.”

According to Miller, everybody in the cast — including Luke Grimes and Kelsey Asbille — fully immersed themselves in their respective characters and the story. “[People] think it comes to life so easily, but it’s because there’s so much behind the scenes that they practice [and] talk [about] to make it happen,” he continued. “They do it so well, because they truly come from a very innocent point of view.”

Season 5 also marked Miller’s first onscreen appearance as he played a Brazilian buyer looking to purchase one of Yellowstone’s prized horses in episode 13. Though the scenes Miller was in were tense, there were some light-hearted moments, too.

“There’s five cameras and there was one behind Kelly [who was] looking at me, and she kept trying to make me laugh, blinking and smiling,” he told Us. “It was so funny.”

Though Miller is staying busy during some rare downtime (he and Taylor are working on a book about the 6666s) he’s committed to staying inspired while in the company of the series creator.

“There is nothing more creative than being around Taylor,” he concluded. “I can go anywhere and feel so lazy, but the second I’m here I feel that I can do it because I’m surrounded by that energy — he pushes me and it’s so beautiful.”