'Yellowstone' Star Cole Hauser Hops Into Outdoor Tub for PEOPLE's 'Sexiest Man Alive' Issue

Yellowstone star Cole Hauser is showing off his love of nature. The actor, who portrays Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network series, was featured in PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue for 2020. Things got extra steamy when he recreated the Yellowstone bathtub scene, posing for photos in the same water trough Beth Dutton used.

Shot for the "Change of Scenery" portfolio, the photoshoot took place on "JD's ranch" on the Yellowstone set in Missoula, Montana. Images, which can be viewed on PEOPLE by clicking here, show the actor, 45, posing in the water trough outdoors, Hauser quipping, "minus the champagne or wine that she was drinking." Hauser didn't hesitate for the outdoor dip, explaining that "I did a trip with a few buddies of mine in Costa Rica and we actually never went inside and had a proper shower." He said that bathing outside is something he is "accustomed," adding that "it's refreshing and especially if the water temperature is right, it's just beautiful."

Hauser's love of nature goes all the way back to his childhood. The actor, who grew up in Santa Barbara and on a ranch in Oregon, told the outlet that his childhood was filled with horseback riding and "cruising around with cows and all kinds of different animals that we had." He recalled how his mother "would ring the dinner bell and the horse that I used to have, Cinnamon, he'd come up and drop his head and I'd just slide down his mane and ride into the house. So I've always been outdoors."

Now, Hauser spends much of his time in Montana, where the critically acclaimed series Yellowstone films. Hauser said that he spends much of his day "horseback riding at a very high level," which he admitted is "a hell of a workout for core and back and legs." He also does plenty of "roping and cutting." The actor does, however, manage to find calmer moments in the day.

"My favorite time of day is sunset and sunrise. Especially up here," he said. "I don't know if you can see these mountains behind us, but the sun basically comes right over this and over the Yellowstone ranch. And it goes right behind these mountains here into Trapper Peak. And it's just to die for. I mean, the magic hour here is just stunning."

When his time on Yellowstone is up and many years in the future when he decides to retire, Hauser said he plans to keep close ties with nature. He told PEOPLE that he hopes to be "sitting on a beach with my wife…we'll have a nice little island somewhere. We're just going to have our feet up, boat kind of out in the ocean, nothing too crazy. Just enjoying the second half of our life."