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About 20 minutes into Ransom Canyon‘s Season 1 premiere, Ellie (Marianly Tejada) walks into Cap Fuller’s (James Brolin) barn, glances into Yancy Grey’s (Jack Schumacher) new room, clocks him standing there without a shirt on, and enjoys the view a while before asking, “Who the hell are you?”
The meet-cute not only marks the beginning of one of Ransom Canyon‘s most compelling connections, but it serves as a reminder that Schumacher (who also starred in Top Gun: Maverick and was in the famous beach scene — IYKYK) has mastered the art of the Serving While Shirtless.
Based on Jodi Thomas’ book series, Ransom Canyon follows residents of a small Texas town as they navigate love, loss, land wars, and whatever else life throws at them. New to town, however, is Yancy, a charismatic cowboy with a slew of secrets who starts working for Cap.
Ransom Canyon‘s first season — which stars Minka Kelly, Josh Duhamel, Lizzy Greene, Garrett Wareing, Eoin Macken, and more — delivers its fair share of sexual tension, passionate make-out sessions, and intimate sex scenes. But since Decider interviewed Schumacher about his exciting series regular role, how he got rodeo ready, working with Tejada, and more, we’re gathered here today to dive deep into Yancy Grey’s shirtless scenes.
After his big muscle show in Ransom Canyon‘s premiere, Yancy is shirtless again in Episode 3 during a frantic last-minute outfit change ahead of an event. In Episode 5, we get one of the season’s most tantalizing scenes when Ellie and Yancy have a late-night chat and she asks him about the scar on his rib. When he questions how she knows it’s there, she admits she occasionally sees him working without a shirt on “and lingers a little too long.” A flattered Yancy unbuttons his shirt to show off his scar, and though Cap interrupts before they take things to the next level, the YEARNING is present and accounted for, and the chemistry between the two is palpable.
“Marianly is spectacular. She’s so sweet and talented. You do chemistry reads in the process of casting, and right away when Mar and I read, I knew she was the one. I think it was an instant connection,” Schumacher told Decider. “And letting that build? That’s the great thing about shooting this for six months. By the end, you do know each other on a personal level through hanging out and talking, and you learn about each other’s lives, which I think does ultimately help in on-camera chemistry. She’s such an amazing person that it’s easy to wanna be around her and let Yancy feel that as well.”
Before Yancy gets his big rodeo moment in Episode 5, he wakes up shirtless and has his big rodeo training montage. Shirtless pull-ups! Shirtless push-ups! Shirtless tire flipping! Oh my! When the workout concludes he falls back into bed with a smile on his face after a day of hard work. According to Schumacher, he trained offscreen as well to get his ideal cowboy bod.
“What I got from Top Gun, was I pushed my body to a limit. I’d always been in good shape, but I remember when I was prepping for Top Gun, I was like, ‘All right, if I can stand out at all in this, it’s by being the most shredded dude. And so I went really far with it,” Schumacher recalled. “For Ransom, I took it in the other direction of getting beefier. So I was eating a lot. I was working out a lot. Getting there physically was tiring, but I’m very happy with how it turned out. I think it does lend itself to the character.”
Schumacher revealed that he also did months of daily cowboy training to convincingly convey Yancy’s horseback riding, roping, and rodeo skills. When he was first cast in Ransom, he admittedly had zero riding experience, but after spending hours each morning on horseback, he now considers himself one of the better riders on the cast. He even got some “exhausting” bull riding training!
In Episode 6, Yancy is literally standing outside in the sunlight washing himself off with A HOSE. It’s a beautiful sight to behold, and though it’s not great that Ellie sneaks into his room to snoop while he’s gone, when he heads inside and finds her sitting on his bed, the two waste no time undressing for a steamy sex scene.
They heat Ransom Canyon up even more in Episode 8 when Yancy heads to Ellie’s house, rips off his shirt like it’s his job, and the two passionately kiss and undress their way to her bed. He tumbles on top of her and she pulls down his briefs, flashing his bare butt to camera before they make love.
When asked his feelings about Yancy and Ellie’s intimate Ransom Canyon scenes, Schumacher praised the industry’s increased precautions and efforts to make actors feel comfortable and safe. He confirmed that he, Tejada, and the director had conversations with an intimacy coordinator, and said he appreciated the fact that the scenes weren’t gratuitous.
After a jaw-dropping finale twist, Yancy and Ellie end on quite a cliffhanger — one Schumacher hopes they get the chance to address in future episodes. “I 100% want to do this for many, many more years,” the Ransom Canyon star told Decider. More seasons of Ransom Canyon means more romance, more drama, and maybe even more steamy scenes!
Ransom Canyon Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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