‘Yellowstone’ Star Forrie J. Smith Has Incredibly Close Ties With the Actor Who Plays Young Lloyd
Yellowstone Season 5 premiered with a special two-episode event that featured a time jump, as well as some flashbacks. Creator Taylor Sheridan took viewers back more than 20 years to see Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as young adults.
During that flashback, fans also got to see a young Lloyd Pierce — but no CGI was used to de-age star Forrie J. Smith. Instead, Sheridan’s neo-western cast an actor for the role who has incredibly close ties to the real-life cowboy.
The ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 premiere featured Beth and Rip’s first date
The adult versions of Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) are now husband and wife. But as fans know, their relationship history goes back two decades to when they were teenagers (played by Kylie Rogers & Kyle Red Silverstein).
The season 5 premiere took viewers back to the night before Beth was to leave for college, when she asked Rip out on a date. In the bunkhouse, Rip is getting ready and trying to clean his work hat when he has an interaction with young Lloyd. Who, at the time, is still a low man on the Yellowstone Ranch totem pole.
Lloyd is already aware that Beth is nothing but trouble, and gives Rip some advice before he leaves. “Not one good thing happens in town, Rip. Not one good thing,” Lloyd tells him.
Forrie J. Smith has incredibly close ties to the actor who plays young Lloyd
Young Lloyd looked so much like Yellowstone star Forrie J. Smith that he had some fans believing Yellowstone used CGI to de-age the 62-year-old actor. But, that’s not how they pulled off such an uncanny resemblance for the character.
The actor who played young Lloyd in the Yellowstone season 5 premiere is Forrest Smith — the real-life son of Forrie J. Smith. And, it’s pretty incredible how much father and son look alike.
This isn’t the first time that the younger Smith has appeared on Yellowstone as a younger version of his father’s character. But, it was the first time his appearance in the show had fans going crazy on social media after Forrie posted about it on Instagram.
“I thought, ‘That was amazing casting – he looks just like him!’” one fan wrote, adding a laughing emoji. Another added, “I was starting to get really freaked out on Hollywood makeup and theatrics.”
The ‘Yellowstone’ fan-favorite Forrie J. Smith is a real-life cowboy
Forrie J. Smith is an actor and stuntman who also has a history in ranching and rodeo. He was born to a generational Montana ranching family, has competed in rodeo for decades, and did Hollywood stunt work as a master horseman before landing the role of Lloyd.
According to Outsider, the bunkhouse on the Dutton Ranch was modeled after Smith’s own rodeo legacy, as many of the photos and trophies on the set are from his rodeo days.
Forrest Smith will reportedly show up again as young Lloyd in episode 3 of Yellowstone Season 5, which airs Sunday, November 20 on the Paramount Network. New episodes are released every Sunday.
