Although Finn Little has quickly become a fan favorite as Carter in Dutton Ranch, the young actor says one of his biggest challenges this season wasn’t an action scene or emotional confrontation—it was simply delivering a single line to Academy Award nominee Annette Bening.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Little revealed that his only scene opposite Bening, who plays Beulah Jackson, did not go the way he had hoped.

The scene appeared in Episode 6, when Carter is formally introduced to Beulah during the 10-Petal Ranch anniversary celebration. On screen, it’s a brief moment as Carter shakes her hand and introduces himself. Behind the scenes, however, Little says he struggled through nearly every take.

“I had one scene with her. Man, I wish I could say it went better,” Little admitted. “Something was wrong with me that day.”

The 20-year-old actor joked that nerves completely got the better of him while acting alongside one of Hollywood’s most respected performers.

“I don’t know what it was. I had dry mouth or something,” he explained. “I had one line with her, and every single take I… couldn’t get it out.”

Little described it as a “rough day” on set and laughed that he hopes Season 2 gives him another opportunity to redeem himself.

“Hopefully, I get another chance to prove myself next season.”

Off camera, however, his experience with Bening was far more relaxed. The two spent time together during cast dinners while filming in Texas, and Little had nothing but praise for his veteran co-star.

“She’s lovely. I really like Annette. She’s fun to be around.”

His comments echo what several other cast members have recently said about working with the Oscar-nominated actress.

Natalie Alyn Lind, who plays Oreana Jackson and shares significantly more screen time with Bening, recently described the experience as an acting masterclass.

According to Lind, Bening teaches through observation rather than instruction.

“From the beginning, doing these scenes with her, she has taught me so much by not even saying anything,” Lind said.

She added that simply watching Bening prepare and perform has become one of the most valuable learning experiences of her career.

“Any day that I work on set or with actors, I learn one thing. With her, I learn about 10 a day.”

Interestingly, the admiration goes both ways.

Before Dutton Ranch premiered, Bening revealed that one of the biggest reasons she accepted the role was the chance to work with Kelly Reilly.

She admitted she had been a longtime admirer of Reilly’s work on Yellowstone and was shocked to learn the actress is actually English.

“I was a fan of Yellowstone, especially Kelly Reilly,” Bening said. “I didn’t even know she was English. When I heard that, I’m like, ‘Wait… she’s English? That’s incredible.'”

Bening also emphasized that great acting comes from responding to equally talented scene partners, praising Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser and Ed Harris for creating an environment where every scene feels unpredictable.

For Finn Little, despite his own frustrating day on set, working alongside performers of that caliber appears to have left a lasting impression. And with Dutton Ranch already renewed for Season 2, he may soon get the second chance he joked about—this time hoping to deliver his line to Annette Bening without the dry mouth.