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‘Yellowstone’ Star Forrie J. Smith Reflects on Rodeo Cowboy Life

Back before Forrie J. Smith became a loyal Dutton ranchhand on Yellowstone, he was a real-life rodeo cowboy.

The reason Smith has become such a memorable part of the western series is most likely because he naturally embodies the spirit and mannerisms of a true-blue cowboy that cut his teeth on a pair of spurs.

Recently, the Yellowstone star sat down with his co-star, Jefferson White, who portrays Jimmy Hurdstrom on the spin-off 6666. As a part of the show’s exclusive podcast, the two Dutton allies discussed Smith’s previous career and how it’s affected his current role on screens.

“I miss it to this day,” Smith said of his rodeo career. “I miss the travelin’, I miss the people, miss the adrenaline, the bright lights. It was just a great part of my life, and it was rodeo cowboys and rodeo people that got me in the movie business.”

‘Yellowstone’ Star Explains Why Directors Cast Cowboys in Early Western Films

Following his rodeo career, Smith decided to embark on a 30-plus-year journey on screens that would eventually lead to his part on Yellowstone. Before then, though, Smith starred in a variety of cowboy features, including South of Heaven, West of Hell and Blind Justice. He even portrayed Jesse James in the TV series, Legend.

In his discussion with White, the Yellowstone cowboy also explained how, decades ago, the best way to make an authentic western flick was to use actual cowboys. Not many trained actors knew how to take a punch or hit the ground while on a bucking bull. But Smith and his cohorts certainly could.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is back in the fifties, when they were makin’ all the B-westerns and stuff, they would hire rodeo cowboys ’cause they knew they weren’t scared to hit the ground,” the Yellowstone star explained. “They’d been in fistfights in the bars and stuff, and they were good to do a bar scene, bar fight, whatever, and hit the ground. The ones that didn’t want to do that were good to wrangle.”

Smith Still Attends Rodeos As an Honored Guest

While he may not be the cowboy waiting behind the gate anymore, Smith still spends his time at rodeos whenever he can.

Earlier this month, the Yellowstone star shared a photo from his time at the Annual World of Rodeo Reunion in Las Vegas, where he was a keynote speaker. The event invited all kinds of legends from the dusty stage, and it seems Smith couldn’t have been happier to get back to his roots. The snapshot only further demonstrated that you can take the cowboy out of the rodeo, but you just can’t take the rodeo out of Forrie J. Smith.