There’s a lot that goes into playing a hot cowboy — just ask Ransom Canyon‘s Garrett Wareing.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Wareing, 23, broke down the work that went into playing soon-to-be fan favorite character Lucas Russell, saying, “We showed up to New Mexico and we were aware that we were going to go through the ringer for cowboy training. I — being from Texas — wanted to claim this ownership of being a cowboy. But if I showed up to that cowboy camp and told them that I knew how to ride a horse the way that they knew how to ride a horse, they’d all laugh at me.”
Wareing recalled spending “three hours a day” for a month learning the tricks of the trade.
“We were learning how to rope. We also learned how to ride horses, hit marks on horses, ride in tandem with one another, get that walk into a trot, that trot into a leap and do that comfortably and safely, which was the most important part,” he detailed. “Then once we got proficient at that, they started incorporating the lasso. We started practicing on this roping dummy and then we would upgrade to a dummy that was a mechanical bull basically pulled by a horse. We would go behind this robot bull and rope it on horseback.”
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Getting to put in the physical labor was “the coolest experience,” with Wareing adding, “[It made me] able to become the cowboy I’ve always wanted to be — being from Texas. I felt like I finally earned my stripes as a cowboy through cowboy camp with all of my friends that definitely brought us together and we bonded through that.”
Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, which starts streaming on Thursday, April 17, is based on Jodi Thomas‘ book series of the same name about a Texas town full of drama, romance and promise. Wareing got the chance to play a self-proclaimed “golden retriever” character who doubles as a textbook cowboy.
“[When it comes to] cowboy culture, the rules of being a cowboy include that your jeans always go outside of your boots. That’s a very important rule. They always told us on our horses that if our hats fell off, we owed a case of beer to our cowboy wranglers,” he recalled. “So you never wanted your hat to fly off. They also said, ‘Don’t touch your hat.’ Because every time we see cowboys on screen, they’re always messing with their hats. Once your hat’s on your head, it stays there and you’re not messing with it.”
Wareing continued: “Those are some secrets. [But] I think being a cowboy is a state of mind. It’s a state of being that’s a steadfast, sure and confident version of yourself.”
According to the official character description, Wareing’s character Lucas “is always on the outside looking in” but he’s “determined to achieve a brighter future” than Ransom Canyon has to offer. Wareing was grateful for the chance to be a kindhearted underdog that everyone would be rooting for.
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“We took the world of Ransom Canyon and made our version of it. We take these character dynamics and these stories and our writers did a beautiful job at making it their own. I hope that the fans who loved these books for what they were also love our show for what it is,” he told Us. “They can see the parallels but also the newness that is brought to the world of Netflix’s Ransom Canyon.”
Wareing praised the writers’ room for how they presented Lucas, who has “very admirable” traits including wearing his heart on his sleeve.
“Everyone likens me to a golden retriever. Part of me wants to be like a Rottweiler or a pit bull but it’s all golden retriever. So Lucas is very, very much that guy. It felt very close to me — not only being from Texas — but also being the golden retriever and being able to play that role,” he noted. “I would say every character is a version of you and this is a version of myself that I’m very proud to play and very grateful to be able to share with the world.”
The best part? Getting the share the experience with his costars — including his onscreen love interest Lizzy Greene.
“To share the screen with Lizzie — who is just my best costar of all time — was the greatest joy of my life. We were set up for success because we have as costars so much love for one another and they became my family. We got lucky with the writing that we were given because it was so well done and so heartfelt. Our showrunner, April Blair, leads with that love and compassion every day on set,” Wareing gushed. “By welcoming us into her world, she gifted us wonderful three-dimensional characters that we got to bring to life. Lizzie, Andrew Liner and I had this wonderful love triangle going on and it was always about consent, trust, love and leaning into what these characters were feeling and wanting and their desires and their fears.”
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Wareing is thrilled for fans of westerns — and romance — to see what Ransom Canyon has to offer.
“It’s an honor to be held amongst shows that have such a legacy like Yellowstone, Virgin River and Friday Night Lights. But what we bring to our show is a sense of not only that romance and that love but also that sense of grit and the drama that comes with that,” he concluded. “It’ll appeal to mass audiences because of these intergenerational love stories. There’s something for everybody in our show, which I think is really appealing.”
Ransom Canyon starts streaming Thursday, April 17, on Netflix.
