Andrew Liner – Ransom Canyon

By starrymag | April 25, 2025

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the upcoming Netflix series “Ransom Canyon.”

 

A) Texas family drama, with small town big hearts! Also, what to do with your land – sell it or keep Ransom Canyon. 

 

Q) You play popular starting quarterback Reid Collins in the new Western Romance drama “Ransom Canyon,” now streaming on Netflix. When you first signed on to the project, how was Reid described to you? 

 

A) When I first signed onto the project, Reid was described to me as a cocky quarterback, who is good at heart, but not the good guy. I was told he was Lauren’s boyfriend (Minka Kelly) and, originally, they didn’t know if she was going to end up with Reid or Lucas (Garrett Wareing) by the end of the season. So, it was a journey to then get to where we got to with the love triangle.

 

Q) What were your initial impressions of him as a character?

A) There are a lot of complexities with Reid, which I really enjoyed. I found that he was constantly searching to be good and that piqued my interest because he was stumbling along and messing up a lot. It was a lot of fun for me playing football and riding horses and being active. That stuff always makes me happy, as well as tapping the emotions and then even more so getting to work with Josh [Duhamel] as much as I did and having a few scenes with Minka [Kelly] that was special. I just got to learn from a lot of actors that have been doing it for a long time, like Eoin [Macken] and Meta [Golding].

 

Q) Did the character of Reid evolve at all during the production process? Is the teenager we see on screen close to the version you first encountered in the script, or were there some unexpected developments or creative opportunities to mold him along the way?

 

A) I think the Reid that was on the page originally is a version of what we see on screen. We have longer episodes that were written compared to the runtime of our episodes so a lot of Reid stuff was cut, but he still serves a part in the story and at the end of the day that’s what matters most. I guess one of the only things we didn’t know was if he was going to end up with Lauren or not, but pretty soon after we started filming we realized he wasn’t going to end up with her. 

 

Q) Josh Duhamel, James Brolin and Mika Kelly all-star in this drama; what was it like working with your fellow cast members and creative team on “Ransom Canyon?”

 

A) Getting to play Josh‘s nephew was a lot of fun, not only because I got to watch him work so closely, but we formed a relationship offscreen that was really nice. I can say the same for Minka. I feel like if I call them at any point in time they would answer and be there for me which is something special.

 

Q) While the show is set against the backdrop of ranch life, the heart of the show lies in its emotionally complex relationships. Reid is grappling with a lot—Lauren’s secret relationship with Lucas, tension with his father, and a complicated dynamic of ranch life with his uncle—all of which shape the tone of his arc in Season 1. How did you approach navigating those layered, emotionally charged storylines? 

 

A) I tried to be as present as possible and really live in the moment with whatever it was we were filming at the time. I feel like if I put myself in the situation and talked and listened in a real way, that was a lot of the prep. I also was a high school quarterback and we did four months of cowboy training, so I truly got to live this experience which informed my performance.

 

Q)  Were there particular moments or scenes that helped you tap into Reid’s inner world and the emotional weight he’s carrying?

 

A) Honestly, just the situations that Reid was in was enough to catapult me emotionally if I was present enough. Whether it was mourning his cousin, trying to prove himself to his dad, trying to get over Lauren or fighting with Lucas, these are all high stakes situations. If I was present enough, I wasn’t there.

 

Q) “Ransom Canyon” takes place in Texas Hill Country at the foot of the Mesa Mountains but the series was shot on location in New Mexico and Nevada–Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas. Where were some of your favorite places to film?

 

A) I loved shooting in Santa Fe and I loved shooting in Vegas. When we were with the horses and cattle in Santa Fe, it was an angelic fairytale-like place. It’s beautiful, calm, serene and you’re in the middle of nature away from the city, which is really special. When I was filming in Las Vegas and New Mexico, riding around on a horse at sunset, I felt that same thing. It was a euphoric feeling getting to experience the true beauty our world is.

 

Q) How did the landscape, local vibe or even just being surrounded by that Southwestern energy influence your performance?

 

A) You can’t really fake riding a horse and you can’t fake pulling a cow out of the mud, so the influence was heavy because we were actually doing it.

 

Q) Watching Reid attempt to lasso those horses clued us into his lack of experience with ranch life. Were you familiar with horses and cattle before booking the job? If not, what kind of preparation did you have for that episode four cattle drive and muddy rescue?

 

A) I was not familiar with horses so they put us all in cowboy camp for four months, which made me very comfortable with horses and cattle. It ended up being a pretty tough day shooting that stuff because I was pretty proficient on a horse and rounding up that I felt like I had to act like a dork on a horse and not know what I was doing when I spent months and months and months learning what to do on a horse. But that ended up making us have a safe experience on horseback thanks to Clay Lilley and my cowboy Kirby [Rhoades].

 

Q) Looking back on the shoot, what’s one moment—on or off camera—that stands out to you as particularly memorable? Maybe something funny, emotional, or just an unforgettable location shoot that you’ll always associate with your first season on Ransom Canyon.

 

A) My last day of shooting was alongside Lizzy [Green], Jen [Ens], Niko [Guardado] and Garrett – all the “kids” on the show, which was a really special moment for me because we had all become such great friends through the six months of shooting. Having finished a project that we all are proud of and that we all had an amazing experience with; getting to put that to bed together was a moment I’ll never forget.

 

Q) Western dramas seem to be having a major moment in the streaming world. Why do you think modern audiences are gravitating toward this genre again and what do you think “Ransom Canyon” brings to that conversation that will appeal to fans?

 

A) Westerns never died for me. I grew up with Tombstone and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, so I can’t speak to why they fell off or why they’re coming back. What I can say is “Ransom Canyon” will give you a taste of that true western feeling with a modern-day cowboy.

 

Q) What’s next on the horizon for you? Are there any upcoming roles or projects—film, TV, or otherwise—that you’re excited to share with fans?

 

A) I have a movie coming out this year called Bang Bang starring Tim Blake Nelson and myself, and directed by Vincent Grashaw. I’m super excited for it. It’s some of the work I’ve done that I’m most proud of. I have another movie called Please Don’t Feed the Children, which is Destry Spielberg‘s directorial debut that I am very proud of as well.

 

Q) What do you want to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and your work on our screens?

 

A) Thank you so much for your support. Hopefully, I can deliver and continue to give you a good performance, make you feel something and make you feel seen. It never goes unnoticed for me, and I am very appreciative and grateful.