It seems that art truly mirrors life when it comes to Dutton Ranch. The cast and crew of “Yellowstone” have skillfully portrayed life on the western frontier on TV screens since 2018 on Paramount Network. However, it’s evident that the role came more naturally to some actors than others, as many of the series’ stars are genuine cowboys in real life. The cast has immersed themselves in cowboy boots, rodeos, and wild horses within the Taylor Sheridan-created universe. Ahead of the second part of the fifth and final season, premiering on Sunday, Nov. 10 (8 p.m.), let’s take a look at which members of “Yellowstone” embody cowboy culture off-screen.
Forrie J. Smith, 65, who plays ranch hand Lloyd Pierce on “Yellowstone,” grew up riding horses and has a family history deeply rooted in the rodeo circuit. His mother and grandfather were both involved in rodeos. Smith began his career as a stuntman after a childhood accident involving a horse. Over the past five seasons, he has returned to his roots. He shared with Cowboys & Indians Magazine that he uses the same techniques to prepare for a scene as he did before riding. “What I started doing is, I always take deep breaths to relax before I ride and stuff,” Smith said. “I started using some of the things that make me relax while rodeoing before my auditions.”
Taylor Sheridan, the creator of the series, also plays Travis Wheatley. The 54-year-old spent most of his childhood on his family’s ranch in Texas, which not only made him a skilled rider but also deeply immersed him in cowboy culture. Sheridan and his wife, Nicole Muirbrook, own and operate a ranch in Texas.
Ryan Bingham, who plays the famed crooner Walker on TV, has real-life cowboy experience. The 43-year-old grew up working on his family’s ranch in Hobbs, a small town in New Mexico. Bingham was a bull rider and even rode on the rodeo team at Tarleton State University in Stephenville. “I started riding calves and steers when I was a little kid in the junior rodeos, and rode bulls till kind of up into my mid-twenties until I really started playing music,” Bingham told Forth Worth Magazine. His experience paid off, and he became a part of the show. “Originally, Taylor contacted me about writing some songs for the show,” he explained to Cowboys & Indians Magazine in 2023. “Then when he discovered my family ranched and I used to ride bulls, he said, ‘Well, shoot. We gotta get you in the show. If you’re good, we’ll keep you on. If you suck, we’ll kill you off.’ I’m not dead yet.”
Jake Ream, who serves as a ranch hand at Dutton Ranch, has professional experience working with horses, which is how he and Sheridan first connected. Ream purchased a horse through the series creator and from there started working as an instructor and consultant for the show. But it didn’t take long for Ream to transition in front of the camera and land the role as one of the bunkhouse boys.
Like many of his fellow cast members, Ethan Lee grew up in Louisiana surrounded by horses and worked as a rodeo trick rider. Like Ream, Lee joined the series working behind the camera as a consultant and trainer before becoming a ranch hand and branded member of the Dutton crew. In 2016, Lee helped out with horses on the set for “Free State of Jones” starring Matthew McConaughey when it was filmed in his home state of Louisiana. But he didn’t like the “hurry and wait” environment of a movie set. “I said, ‘If I get through these two weeks, Hollywood doesn’t have to worry about me ever again,’” Lee explained. But he changed his tune when the checks started coming in. “I told my wife, ‘I can’t make what I’m making on set shoeing these horses and doing the things I do. So, maybe, I should get this, you know, take advantage of it while it’s here,’” Lee revealed. The jobs did keep coming in, and he made saddles, prepped horses, and taught the actors how to ride. He was then asked to work on Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone,” but when the network told him he’d be gone six months, Lee turned it down. “All my kids were small, and dad just didn’t want to be gone that much, you know?” Lee recalled. He and his wife, Dr. Brennan Fitzgerald-Lee, who is an equine veterinarian, also own about 10 horses and 25 cows. “I even told my wife I kind of regret turning that down. Sounded like such a good deal and something that may be fun, something that may go seasons,” Lee said. “So, you’re thinking I might have turned something down that could be great, potentially.” The couple then decided that if “Yellowstone” called him back, he would sign on. “For me, it was a huge deal and always will be,” Lee said of his decision.
Source link: https://nypost.com
