On Monday night, Yellowstone star Forrie J. Smith shared a series of photos on social media from an event he attended in Montana on the Fourth of July. Smith was a special guest at a rodeo event put together by the Montana Silversmiths. In his post, Smith is seen talking and posing with fans who wanted their picture taken with the Yellowstone actor.
The Independence Day event brought in Smith as a celebrity guest to the Red Lodge Rodeo Grounds. Yet Smith is no normal celebrity compared to most Hollywood actors. While Forrie has been in and around Hollywood productions for years now, he’s not just a cowboy on-set.
In fact, the actor is as authentic as they come. Smith may portray a ranch hand Lloyd on Yellowstone, but he also lives that lifestyle on a daily basis. He grew up in and around the rodeo circuit in Montana, and has wrangled horses for decades. Therefore he was the perfect guest to attend an event at the rodeo grounds in Red Lodge, MT since he fit right in.
“From the Montana Silversmiths Bunkhouse!” the Yellowstone actor’s account captioned his post. “Tonight we were able to welcome Forrie J Smith to the Red Lodge Rodeo for this amazing event. Congratulations to the Shipton’s Big R prize winners! A huge thank you to Beef Jerky Experience Red Lodge for the snacks for this event.”
‘Yellowstone’ Actor Recalls Taylor Sheridan Hiring Him to Portray Lloyd
As mentioned, Forrie J. Smith is the real deal when it comes to an actor portraying a cowboy. He’s lived it his whole life, and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan could see that the first time they worked together. Considering Sheridan strives for authenticity in everything he creates, he knew he had to have Smith as part of his Yellowstone cast.
Smith worked on the 2016 film Hell or High Water as the movie’s livestock coordinator. Following an incident on-set, Sheridan noticed Smith and knew he’d be perfect for the bunkhouse. But Smith had heard empty Hollywood promises before.
“The next day he told me, ‘I’m writing this Western, and you’re going to have a part in it.’ I said, ‘Yea, I’ve heard that BS before.’ ‘Not from me you haven’t,’ [Sheridan said]. You’re right, you’re right,” Smith said of getting hired to play Lloyd on Yellowstone.
“I’m sure you’ve had the experience of where you met somebody, and when you shake hands, it’s like old friends. You know like, hey, where you been? And that’s the way it was with me and Taylor,” Smith added. “When we shook hands we were like old buddies.”
A few months later, Sheridan text Smith telling him to pack his bags. Paramount picked up Yellowstone for production, and Smith had officially earned the role of Lloyd.