‘Yellowstone’ star Cole Hauser recalls the moment he realized Rip Wheeler was a heartthrob: ‘She goosed me!’

Cole Hauser had no idea his character Rip Wheeler in “Yellowstone” was a heartthrob until he had an unforgettable encounter with a stranger.

“When did I realize?” the actor chuckled to Fox News Digital. “I think when this old lady grabbed my a– in Whole Foods.”

“This is about four years ago,” he shared. “She goes, ‘Are you Rip?’ And she goosed me! I was like, ‘Holy s—, what are you doing? You’re like my mother’s age.’ She’s like, ‘I don’t give a f—.’ I was like, ‘OK, fair play.’”

“I told my mother about it. She goes, ‘Get used to it son,’” the 47-year-old added.

Cole Hauser had no idea his character Rip Wheeler in “Yellowstone” was a heartthrob until he had an unforgettable encounter with a stranger.

“When did I realize?” the actor chuckled to Fox News Digital. “I think when this old lady grabbed my a– in Whole Foods.”

“This is about four years ago,” he shared. “She goes, ‘Are you Rip?’ And she goosed me! I was like, ‘Holy s—, what are you doing? You’re like my mother’s age.’ She’s like, ‘I don’t give a f—.’ I was like, ‘OK, fair play.’”

“I told my mother about it. She goes, ‘Get used to it son,’” the 47-year-old added.

“Well, first of all, it’s not the Western, it’s the Taylor Sheridan writing,” he explained about the filmmaker. “That starts with him and the stories that he’s telling, the characters that he’s developed, the actors that he’s hired, the crew. In my opinion, [he’s] one of the great American writers and he’s telling the stories that he knows well and cares about.”

And the story hits close to home. Hauser grew up in Santa Barbara, California, and on a ranch in Oregon where he spent much of his childhood riding horses and “cruising around with cows,” People magazine reported. Hauser noted he feels completely at ease in the show’s Montana setting.

“’Yellowstone’ is kind of an extension of [Sheridan’s] love and passion for the West – and I’m that way,” said Hauser. “I think that there [are] wonderful stories to be told even in the modern setting of ‘Yellowstone.’”

“A buddy of mine… sent me a picture,” Hauser recalled. “He had a hoodie on with the ‘Yellowstone’ brand and I was like, ‘Holy s—, he’s a fan.’ Then he said, ‘Listen, his birthday is coming up and I think it would be really cool if you signed something for him.’ I was like, ‘Absolutely.’”

Hauser sent the rapper, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, a pair of signed cowboy boots. The 36-year-old proudly flaunted them on social media.

“He posted them and the rest is history,” said the father of three. “Everybody seems to find out about these things really quickly.”