Dutton Ranch star Marc Menchaca was born to play cowboy Zachariah Moss. As Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) attempt to build their Texas empire, they recruit the devout ex-con to help on their homestead based on the recommendation of ranch foreman Azul Ramos (J.R. Villarreal). As the series goes on, it is revealed that Moss was imprisoned for accidentally killing his girlfriend, Theresa “Terry Jo,” during a drunken argument. Though Zach is penitent, Menchaca believes he is still deeply affected by his past.
“Even though he is now a Christian, I don’t think he’s ever really forgiven himself for what happened,” said Menchaca. Despite the new life and family Moss has in Rio Paloma, Menchaca thinks Terry Jo weighs heavily on his mind. “I don’t think she’s ever very far from him.” While Dutton and Wheeler have given him a fresh start, the rest of the town isn’t as open to having him back in the community. “The people who know his past are a little skeptical of him,” said Menchaca. “Zach knows he’s going to run into people who were affected by his actions.”
Lucky for Moss, Beth Dutton is fiercely protective of those she considers to be family. In this week’s episode, entitled “Peaceful Find Peace,” the two share a quiet smoke together while overlooking the land that once supported a cattle herd. “Kelly really fought for that scene to be done,” remembered Menchaca. “We went back and forth about what we wanted that moment to be for the characters.” Ultimately, they decided that it was important that Beth be the one to “open the door for Zach to finally feel at home in a place that’s not his home.”
Menchaca spoke to DECIDER over Zoom to talk about the series, share his thoughts on Zach’s faith, and dish on how wonderful Reilly is to work with.
DECIDER: Marc, I spoke to Natalie Alyn Lind, and she said you were the cast member who enjoyed cowboy camp the most. Would you agree or disagree?
MARC MENCHACA: If that was my job, they wouldn’t have to pay me a penny. I could just do cowboy camp for the rest of my life. I would eat beans and rice and do whatever they told me. I loved it.
To quote Rip Wheeler, you get to do some “real cowboy shit” in this series. What was the biggest challenge you faced?
I just want to be as good a roper as I can be. You can always improve on that. I’m never satisfied with my newfound ability. It was like, “you need to go back out to the ridge and you got to do it again and again and again.” One of the coolest things for me in cowboy camp was my horse. For whatever reason, he would get spooked by my rope sometimes and sometimes by trash cans [laughs]. We did a lot of work just on horsemanship by introducing him to different exercises that he eventually got comfortable with. Who knows what happened to that horse in the past, but we made it through cowboy camp together.
There are not too many men of faith in the Taylor Sheridan Universe. Obviously, Zach found God in prison. Have you thought about how Zach came to be saved?
The “come to Jesus” moment happened pretty quickly in prison. I do think Zach wanted to end it at first. But at the same time, he wanted to suffer for what he did to Terry Jo. Even though he’s now a Christian, I don’t think he’s ever really forgiven himself for what happened. Alcohol was also a problem for him and probably something that he hadn’t really dealt with on the outside. Once he got inside, he realized that he had to give it all over to God.
Why do you think Rip ultimately takes a chance on Zach? There has to be a reason beyond Azul’s recommendation.
Well, I think he was a little bit desperate for help when he picked Zach up at prison [laughs]. Though, once Rip takes Zach back to the ranch, he immediately puts him in the barn away from the house, away from his wife, away from his kid. But Zach has a soft heart. Once Rip sees that his demeanor isn’t an act, he trusts him. In Episode 3, Rip ends up standing up for Zach to Anna [Terry Jo’s mother]. The minute Anna decides not to shoot Zach, Rip turns quietly to Zach and is like, “Okay, motherfucker, you better tell me what is going on.” That moment really puts them in a different spot.
How heavily do you think Terry Joe weighs on his mind?
I don’t think she’s ever very far from him. Zach’s just come out of jail and is being reintroduced into this community that has ostracized him. Rip and Beth are outsiders, and they’ve taken him in. The people who know his past are a little skeptical of him and probably believe all the false things that were said about what happened. Zach knows he’s going to run into people who were affected by his actions, making everything pretty fresh again.
You have a wonderful moment with Kelly Reilly in this week’s episode. How would you describe her as a scene partner?
I love Kelly. She was such a champion for me on this on the show. She also really fought for that scene to be done. Kelly and I met probably 17 or 18 years ago. We have been particularly close in the past, and she’s always been a very, very dear person to me. I’ve never forgotten how kind and gracious she was. I’ve always wanted to work with her.
She got that scene written, and we talked a lot about it. We went back and forth about what we ultimately wanted that moment to be for the two characters. Beth opened the door for Zach to finally feel at home in a place that’s not his home. Kelly was so open to whatever I wanted in the scene. We then brought our ideas together. We wanted Zach and Beth to have a sweet relationship. We wanted each to be someone the other could trust as Zach becomes part of the family.
Zach may be the only person who has ever talked to Beth about God. When she implies that it’s the land that fulfills her, Zach replies “Land’s as good a god as any. Maybe better.” He finds a way to connect with her on a spiritual level and doesn’t push his beliefs on her. Can you talk about his motivation?
Zach is a true believer, but when he looks at who Beth is and what her worldview is, I think Zach starts considers that the universe might be bigger than he initially thought. There’s a very brief scene in the second episode in which Zach goes outside to look up at the stars. I just remember thinking that Zach might be questioning what’s up there and what’s truly guiding all of us. I think that his saying that land is as good a god as any to Beth is an acknowledgment that he respects her beliefs, but it also shows that he is thinking that maybe there is something more out there.