Cole Hauser has undeniably gained major traction with his role in the gritty neo-Western series Yellowstone created by Taylor Sheridan. He has easily become the show’s fan-favorite character. While some may have started to watch it because of the legendary actor Kevin Costner, it was Hauser who pulled them in episode after episode.
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But that wasn’t surprising at all. Not only did Hauser come from a lineage of highly talented Hollywood royalty, but he has also been in the business for decades. He has earned an impressive resume in film and TV and has acted alongside the greats.
Summer of 1993: “Dazed and Confused”
Directed by Richard Linklater, “Dazed and Confused” was a time capsule, coming-of-age comedy film that followed the lives of different teen cliques on the eventful last day of the school semester, right before the summer break in 1976. And as they cruised through, songs by Skynyrd and Frampton, and Aerosmith blasted in the background.
“Dazed and Confused” was Hauser’s third film credit after “Frame Up II: The Cover-Up” and “School Ties” in 1992. The 17-year-old played the role of Benny O’Donnell, a soon-to-be high school senior and football jock who spent that evening in a hazing ritual with incoming freshmen.
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It was a low-budget film starred by unknown faces, so Hollywood didn’t have any high hopes. And sure enough, it was a box office bomb.
But years later, the film became a legendary cult classic, often cited as ‘one of the best movies about teenage life.’ In an essay for The Guardian, Linklater said, “I don’t think it’s my best movie, but it represents a rite of passage for the ‘busters,’ the end of the baby-boom generation.” He also added that he enjoyed seeing people who weren’t even born at the time – the ‘70s or the ‘90s – like the film. “It tells you there’s something about teenagedom that never changes.”
That wasn’t the only plot twist for the film. In fact, some of the unknown faces in the cast turned into Hollywood A-listers.
There’s Ben Affleck, who became an Oscar award winner, Milla Jovovich, who starred in Resident Evil, Adam Goldberg, who enjoyed fame for “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Equalizer,” and Parker Posey, who went indie and became an icon. And, of course, there is Cole Hauser, who is now one of the most popular actors in the Paramount series Yellowstone.
You can watch “Dazed and Confused” on Showtime or Paramount+ or stream it via renting or purchasing on Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu. Aside from that, the cast, including Cole Hauser, did a reenactment of their roles via a virtual live read in 2020 to raise funds for the pro-voting initiatives March For Science and Voto Latino. Catch it here.