Initially, it might not seem easy to bridge the gap between Yellowstone and Teen Wolf, but one very handsome actor and a wild animal will take care of that for you. Ian Bohen plays a werewolf in Teen Wolf — and an alpha at that — and he’s also had some encounters with wild wolves in everyone’s favorite cowboy drama following the Dutton family.
Bohen brings a sense of charm and charisma to both roles, but they’re very different characters in initially quite different universes. That being said, there are some similarities audiences can find if they look closely — and that’s a nod to Bohen’s talent. In one, he’s a cowboy with a big heart and an even more prominent sense of loyalty; in the other, he’s fiery and smoldering. In both, Bohen is unafraid, powerful, talented, and at the very least, wolf-adjacent.
From his transformation to an alpha wolf, complete with fangs and glowing eyes, to his shocked surprise when he found out that the wrong wolves had been killed in a recent episode of Yellowstone, Ian Bohen is the ultimate wolf man.
Bohen embodies the alpha wolf in Teen Wolf
Fans of Teen Wolf are familiar with Peter Hale, an alpha wolf who was a bit of a rebel without a cause when we were first introduced to him. He certainly brought chaos to the script as the main antagonist in season one — but there was more to him than being a villain; something was bubbling under the surface despite his best efforts to hide it.
Of course, it was impossible to look past the source of Peter’s alpha powers: he killed Laura, and then disguised himself as a victim in a coma to hide his real identity as her murderer. That’s right, Peter killed his own niece to attain an ultimate power, which says a lot his drive, both as a wolf and a character.
Viewers know that Peter was ultimately killed due to his inability to change, but resurrected himself after being linked to Lydia, having attacked her before his death. When he returned, Peter was given a second chance of sorts, but he showed his true colors once more and was banished to Eichen House to live out the rest of his days. Betrayal once was enough, but after it happened repeatedly, it was clear that he could not be trusted.
It was only after Stiles Stillinski reached out to him in season six that he could fully embrace another side of himself, a character with a redemption arc worth experiencing, someone who could feel something for someone other than himself, someone with a heart for others. Peter was part of the “pack” at the end of season six, and it’s a treasured moment for wolves and audiences alike.
Bohen says he’s a little different in Teen Wolf: The Movie; older, and perhaps even wiser. Is there anything more charming than that? We do love a character who can grow and look as good as Bohen does while doing it.
Wolves followed Bohen to Yellowstone
On Yellowstone, Ian Bohen plays Ryan — a ranch hand at the Yellowstone and one of our favorite television characters. He’s charming, charismatic, the strong silent type, and he’s got phenomenal comedic timing. Ryan is one of the most loyal characters in Taylor Sheridan’s Dutton family realm, ready and willing to sacrifice himself at any moment. He’s what you hope to find in a friend and a confidant, and he’s also keen to get the job done without asking too many questions.
While that’s an endearing trait for someone who works at the Yellowstone, it got him into hot water earlier in season five when wolves were killed on Dutton land. What seemed like a clear-cut mission had some implications that Ryan and Colby (Denim Richards) learned too late. During a three-night shoot, wolves were killed that had been assumed to be endangering Dutton animals, but Rip Wheeler soon rode in on a horse and let the cowboys know they’d acted rashly. The wolves they shot weren’t wild animals at all; they belonged to Yellowstone National Park and had the GPS collars to prove it.
“These wolves have Facebook pages, people walk around with t-shirts with their pictures on them.”
We’ve yet to see what exactly the shooting means for the future of Yellowstone, and what (if any) hot water Colby and Ryan might find themselves in if it all comes to the surface, but audiences know what happens to those who dare stand against the Duttons. They often get a one-way ticket to a train that travels its own set of tracks, leading to a forever life outside this one. That very train rids the earth of Dutton family enemies, and they’re not often missed.
What did Bohen say about playing the good guy and the villain?
As we said before, you might not think there’s a lot to link Teen Wolf to Yellowstone, but there are definitely some places to find the bridge. So what kind of character does Bohen like playing best? Is he a fan of the villain or the hero? In a chat with KRLD News Radio, Bohen says it’s a joy to play both types of characters, but that one is undoubtedly more fun because of the travel necessary to get there.
“Generally, I will say playing a perceived villain is more fun than playing a good guy because you have to figure out ways to justify the bad behavior and the things that the character does without judging them. That’s a fun ride to take in and experiment to look at, you know, Peter Hale was murderous, and he was a ruthless killer of seemingly innocent people, but we sort of forgave him, and he was, you know, we gave him a little bit of slack as the seasons went on, because of the way he behaved. If you don’t do that, then you just have a cookie-cutter bad guy, and that’s, that’s no fun. A good guy is great, but it’s kind of the straight-through line. It’s simple, it’s a lot of fun as well, and it’s just a different kind of roller coaster.”
A different kind of roller coaster indeed, Bohen brings light and passion to characters, both good and bad, and there’s something incredible about the way he lends himself to these roles. You can see him breathe life into Peter Hale in Teen Wolf: The Movie on Paramount Plus now, and don’t forget that our favorite wolf man will return to Yellowstone when season five airs new episodes this summer.