'Ransom Canyon' star Jack Schumacher got sent to 'cowboy camp' for his new role. One problem? He 'did not enjoy' riding horses.

Netflix’s new series Ransom Canyon isn’t Yellowstone or Virgin River, but it does have some of the best parts of those hit television shows: feuding families, romance and modern-day cowboys.

At the center is a will-they-or-won’t-they romance between stoic widower Staten (Josh Duhamel) and Quinn (Minka Kelly), a family friend who returns to town to run the dance hall after a failed run as a concert pianist. Their connection is complicated when an intriguing cowboy named Yancy blows into town, as cowboys often do, airing dirty laundry from the past.

Jack Schumacher, who plays Yancy, spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about the “mysterious drifter” character, his time at “cowboy camp” and what his role in Top Gun: Maverick taught him about acting.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell me about the role you play in Ransom Canyon.

He’s a mysterious drifter cowboy who rolls into the town of Ransom Canyon and shakes some things up a little bit. It’s such a fun show — a multigenerational romance and drama.

What was it like being on the set with this spectacular backdrop?

We shot in Albuquerque, N.M. It’s a gorgeous place. I think everyone in the cast and crew would agree this is a unique situation, because I’ve never had the experience of not getting along with cast, but this was like a family. These are some of my best friends in the whole world — I see them all the time. One of the coolest parts of this whole thing was getting to go to cowboy camp.

Cowboy camp?!

It was very extensive! Every day for a few months, we spent a few hours in the morning riding horses, learning how to stop on marks and do all these things that you don’t really think about when you see someone acting on a horse. You’ve gotta stay super still with your lower body because every time you fidget, the horse is gonna move. There are a lot of tricky things like that. For my character, because I’m a bull rider, I had a lot of bull-riding training. One of my favorite things about getting to act is that you get to learn all these different skills. I’m by no means going to be able to get on a bull anytime soon, but I did a lot of dummy training. They took me to professional bull-riding events. I got to go hang out in the chutes and sit on some bulls. It was a wild ride.

Did you have any horse-riding or bull-riding experience before filming this?

Oh my God, no! During COVID, I went and rode a horse one day. I did not enjoy the experience at all. I was like, “This is gonna be bad.” But luckily, the cowboys who trained us — they’re so good. They took so much time with us, and they’re so patient. I did an episode of this one show after we finished Ransom — they needed a guy who could ride a horse. And I’m like, “Yeah, that’s me!” That was awesome.

From the Yellowstone universe to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, cowboy culture is definitely having a moment. Why do you think that is?

I think contemporary westerns tap into this very deeply ingrained Americana and sense of nostalgia. For [Ransom Canyon], it’s the pioneering spirit and its classic setting for a hero to overcome things. Through the lens of the modern-day setting, you’re able to bring in contemporary issues like corporate greed. It’s a great way to digest these things. I love Yellowstone and those types of shows — it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy those. They really do connect you to the classic American myth.

Speaking of classic America, I first got introduced to your work when you played Omaha in Top Gun: Maverick. Was there anything you learned from that set that you’ve taken to your other roles?

I could talk about Top Gun for hours. It was the first movie I ever did. The amount that I learned was astounding. What better place to learn from — you’re watching Tom Cruise, Jon Hamm and Miles Teller! I can name everyone on that cast and something I learned from all of them. It was interesting too, because during the whole experience, I had impostor syndrome. It’s a giant, difficult thing to get over. I remember the first day, I was looking around at all these people, and I looked at Tom Cruise and thought, “Dude, how am I here? Someone made a mistake!”

Watching the way Tom conducts himself as a leader, he wears every hat. He’s so specific about what he wants and what he needs in performances and shots. He knows how to be the leader on set — to show up ready to go, remain enthusiastic and learn people’s names so he can be connected to everyone. That has a trickle-down effect on an entire set. If you show up, and your lead is just being a bummer, that’s going to spread. That’s toxic to a set. Especially when you’re doing 18-hour days. To see him work was astounding.

Another thing that stuck with me was when I ran into Jon Hamm one night at the hotel lobby. We started talking, and I was like, “Dude, I don’t like feeling insecure. Should I be trying to do something? Should I try something different?” And he told me, “I’ve had a bunch of jobs. The only thing you need to do is listen. Whenever someone’s talking, whenever they’re doing a scene, just be the guy who is listening the most. Don’t do anything that’s not you.” That really stuck with me and it’s continued to ring in my mind on everything that I worked on.

Ransom Canyon starts streaming April 17 on Netflix.