Juan Pablo Raba, who plays Joaquin on Dutton Ranch, says the moment he saw “Chet walking to me with a gun” in episode 6, his first thought was that his time on the show was over. The star also hopes Joaquin gets the chance to keep unfolding over many seasons,
The first time Juan Pablo Raba thought he might be getting killed off on Dutton Ranch, it wasn’t a cliffhanger on screen. It was a page in his inbox.
Raba, 49, plays Joaquin on the Paramount+ series, and in an exclusive conversation he recalled the moment he opened the script for episode 6 and saw Chet approaching with a gun. His reaction came fast—and with a dark humor that sounded like pure disbelief.
“Look, I think that — except for Beth and Rip — [should be worried]. At least right now, nobody knows,” he said, describing the uncertainty that hangs over the show’s characters. Then he went straight to the scene that shook him.
“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 quipped. “I was like ‘God, it was so short. But why didn’t they call me? That’s rude.’”
For Raba. the fear wasn’t just about a single moment—it was about how quickly the show can make a life feel temporary. “You hope for the best and you hope it’s going to be a long run. But you really don’t know,” he added. “I really hope we can really work this for many seasons because I think there’s so much story to tell.”.
That sense of danger isn’t limited to Joaquin. Marc Menchaca, who plays Zachariah, also admitted the show’s deadly twists leave him bracing for what comes next. “It’s always a possibility — and I have a pretty good track record of saying bye bye on a show,” he said in his own exclusive interview.
Yellowstone introduced audiences to the Dutton family in 2018, and it ran on the Paramount Network until it ended in 2024. That legacy has continued with Luke Grimes’ CBS show Marshals and the Paramount Network’s expansion into Dutton Ranch, which premiered in May.
Dutton Ranch has also brought in major new faces, including Annette Bening and Ed Harris. Other newcomers include Jai Courtney, Natalie Alyn Lind, J. R. Villarreal—and Raba’s Joaquin.
Raba said he’s drawn to the moral messiness that Taylor Sheridan’s universe creates. He talked about how hard it can be to label someone as simply good or bad. even when the show wants you to root for certain people. “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. 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. ” he said.
“And they’re still our heroes and you understand them,” Raba added. “I hope I can do same with Joaquin — no matter what direction he takes.”
His hopes for Joaquin aren’t vague. Raba pointed to what’s ahead for the character, including the emotional hit from the newest episode where Joaquin learns he is no longer next in line to run 10 Petal Ranch.
Raba framed it as the kind of moment that doesn’t just frustrate a person—it breaks their entire foundation. “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 told the outlet. “You ask yourself, ‘But why?. I’ve done everything right.’ It has to be the most heartbreaking moment in his life.”.
Then he described where Joaquin goes from there, and it’s not toward calm. “What’s going to happen now is definitely going to spiral something in Joaquin that we hadn’t seen before — and he’s just in a place where for the first time he can’t fix it. ” Raba said. “He doesn’t know what to do so he’s just going to use anything — all the resources possible — to keep that to keep what he believes it’s rightfully his.”.
For all the fear he joked about when Chet appeared with a gun. Raba’s real wish sounded like something more grounded than survival: he wants the story to keep giving Joaquin room to unravel—and to change. He said. “I hope that I get the chance to really expose what can happen to someone who has been stripped of everything — even hope.”.
Dutton Ranch airs Fridays on Paramount+.
Dutton Ranch Yellowstone spinoff Juan Pablo Raba Joaquin Chet Zachariah Marc Menchaca 10 Petal Ranch Paramount+ Luke Grimes Marshals Annette Bening Ed Harris Jai Courtney Natalie Alyn Lind J. R. Villarreal