'Ride' Exclusive: Beau Mirchoff and Tiera Skovbye on Missy and Cash's 'Will They or Won’t They' Romance

For Beau Mirchoff and Tiera Skovbye, getting cast on Ride — Hallmark Channel's new romance-and-rodeo drama — was a bit of a life-changing experience. Both had been on long-running dramas before: Awkward and The Fosters for Mirchoff, and Riverdale for Skovbye. But none of those were quite so rugged, nor did they require all that much in the way of cowboy skills. The pair quickly dove into the process of building their Ride characters, learning all about riding and roping, and how in the world anyone can stay on top of a bucking bull for eight whole seconds. 

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Wide Open Country talked to the pair about rodeo life, romance and whether Mirchoff thinks he could hack it in the bull-riding world. 

Wide Open Country: On Ride, both of you are quite the riders. While I have to imagine you didn't really learn how to do a suicide drag, Tiera, did the two of you have to go to cowboy camp to learn anything else?

Tiera Skovbye: For a few weeks before we actually started filming, I got to go to Calgary to get acquainted with the horse that was going to be my horse throughout filming and to learn how to ride. I had been on a horse before, but I'd never learned proper technique or skills about how to actually navigate controlling a horse, because there's actually a lot that goes into it. 

So I got to learn how to ride — but obviously, like you said, I didn't learn how to do a suicide drag. That was a double that I had, and she was incredible. Watching her do that kind of stuff, I wanted to be there just to watch her because she's such an incredible athlete. She's super young, too, and she's been doing this her whole life. It's gymnastics on a horse, and it's super fast, but she's so calm. She was just like, "Whatever you need!" She has her own horse that she is so bonded with, and there's so much trust and she takes such amazing care of this horse. That was really amazing to witness as well.

Beau Mirchoff: And for me, I got into horseback riding a few years back. My fiancee grew up riding horses, so she taught me and we have a couple horses now. 

It's funny, actually. I was setting goals and I put in my goals that I wanted to get on a show that was centered around horses, and then this came around. I don't want to say I manifested it, but ... 

WOC: Even if you knew how to ride, you still had to learn all those bull-riding skills. How much did you know about rodeo in general going into the show? 

BM: I did a lot of research beforehand, so you kind of get a sense of it; but until you're actually there, you don't know. You learn so much in between going to the concessions and talking to people and meeting the young kids who are involved with pony rides and all the barrel racing and everything. It's such a fast-paced event, and they have it really worked out, like how it flows from one event to the next. It's such a family-oriented event, too, and it's persevering towards a common goal. It's really beautiful. I thought it was just fantastic. 

TS: It was really fun. I didn't know anything about rodeo before, but we went to a couple of rodeos while we were in Calgary to get an understanding of that world. I remember there was one where we were walking through where you park, and a lot of people have motorhomes and RVs and they're all camping and they're all together and then they go and watch for the day. Afterwards, they come back and they have their nightly barbecues. It was this feeling of summertime connection and community that felt so alive.

BM: And they'll follow the rodeos, too. They'll tour with them and tailgate, Super Bowl-style.  

WOC: Beau, you're Canadian-American; and Tiera, you're Canadian. What was it like to be in Calgary, shooting the show? What did you like about the city? 

TS: Calgary is only a 50-minute flight from Vancouver, which was nice because I could go home on the weekends, but I had never really spent any time there. I'm used to Vancouver being close to the ocean, so I kind of missed that, but Calgary really grew on me.  

One of my favorite parts was that the people there are so friendly. Everyone's talking to you in the elevator. Everyone's commenting on your dog walking down the street. Everybody was so nice and welcoming and warm. I really liked that. 

BM: ??Just don't ride a scooter on the sidewalks in Calgary or you will get yelled at.

TS: Deservedly so. 

Beau, I know you ended up really loving Calgary, right? 

BM: Yeah, like 10 Foot Henry, which is a great restaurant. There's a river that runs through it, too, so we floated the river. The Rocky Mountains are 45 minutes away, so there's great hiking. Great people, too. Two thumbs up for Calgary. 

WOC: There's a little "will they or won't they" between your characters, Cash and Missy, on the show. Without giving anything away, how long do you think Cash has been into Missy and is she just totally oblivious? 

BM: We've asked these very questions and thought hard about it, too. 

Without being too specific, I think Missy has been in Cash's life the majority of the time. There's definitely deep feelings and respect and romantic love and all of that. 

It's interesting, because knowing someone your entire life creates a relationship based on not just that kind of infatuated love or lust or whatever that is. It's something much deeper.

TS: They know each other better than anybody, and that is a really rare thing — to have someone know you on such a deep level. That's going to connect them no matter what. And so to navigate what that blossoms into, I think for both of them, has always been something that's been in the back of their minds, but also ... 

BM: She also married his brother, so there's that. 

WOC: Tiera, a lot of people might know you from your time as Polly Cooper on Riverdale, which is also a family drama of a sort. How does that show's crazy compare to what's going to happen on Ride? 

TS: Riverdale has always been a bit of a heightened reality. In the last couple seasons, it's even more so. There's an element of the fantastical that was really fun to play with and caricature.  But Ride is definitely based in a very authentic, grounded world. These people are really the salt of the earth. They're very honorable, and they take care of their land. The show is still navigating family dynamics, but in a lot more of a real and grounded setting.

WOC: Ride has been called a family-friendly Yellowstone. Why do you think it's important or valuable to make entertainment that can be watched by everyone? 

BM: I think it's more relatable. It's interesting when a full family can watch a show together. Deep down, everyone wants that. Everyone loves shows about family — I love shows about family — and we all want a community. That's all we want, really ... to have community and love and respect, and I think family shows are a great conduit to show that.

TS: There's an amazing place for those high-action, drama, violence kind of things. People love them and are drawn to them for completely different reasons. But I think to have something that's grounded in a family element and that's very inclusive can be more uplifting in times when the world can be a really hard place and things can get dark. You don't always necessarily want to watch a show that is dark and heavy at times. To have a show that's connecting and loving and about family that you can watch with your family is a nice way to form that bond. 

BM: Also, Yellowstone isn't very realistic. It's this world where people are going around shooting anyone who comes on their ranch, and there are helicopters and the FBI. I mean, it's a fun show, but you can have high stakes and drama without all those fantastical elements. 

WOC: That's true. Yellowstone can make it seem like everyone living out west is breaking laws and burying bodies. 

BM: In the 1800s, they were, but not now. 

WOC: Speaking of danger: Beau, how long do you think you'd last on a real bull? 

TS: Oh, he really wants to get on a bull. 

BM: I could do eight seconds no problem. 

No, actually, I don't know. I have a good seat on a horse, and that's part of the battle. I also would love to do it, so I think the adrenaline would help. You want a little fear, but you still don't want to be afraid to do it. 

I think my first few rides I'd get bucked off right away, but with practice maybe I could be OK. I's really hard to do, though. It's really, really difficult. 

WOC: Everyone thinks they could do it and then no one can. It's like when there's a mechanical bull in a bar. Everyone watches people fall off and thinks, "I could stay on," and then they actually get on and they're off in a second. 

BM: Those are nothing like a real bull, either. 

TS: And even those are hard! We both had to do it for the show, and we were covered in bruises the next day. 

WOC: Finally, tell me about the location where you all filmed. Is it a working ranch? 

TS: It's a real working ranch about an hour south of Calgary outside of Turner Valley. There are beautiful rolling hills, and the ranch has thousands of acres. They do hay, they have cattle, all sorts of things. They have horses and breed horses. It's amazing. There's a river running through it. 

BM: One day, 300 head of elk came through in a big herd. 

TS: There are big, beautiful big skies. You've got the Rocky Mountains behind you with snow-capped peaks. It's fantastic.

WOC: And you don't even have the cows to be extras on the show!

BM: Yeah, but as an extra you're not supposed to talk all the time, and unfortunately the cows do. It's always the same word over and over, too.

"Ride" is available to stream live on the Hallmark Channel on Peacock and is also available on demand the next day.

READ MORE: New Rodeo Drama 'Ride' Is Hallmark's Family Friendly Answer to 'Yellowstone'