Which Characters Are the Real Cowboys in Yellowstone?

Paramount+'s biggest hit, Yellowstone, has been an insanely popular show since the first episode premiered in 2018, and not just because of Kevin Costner playing the lead role of tough-as-nails ranch owner John Dutton. Millions of Americans simply saw themselves in the show's characters, for whom honor and moral compass were not just empty words.

Even though some viewers were quick to accuse Yellowstone of casting actors who knew nothing about the ranching lifestyle, the truth about the series' authenticity is in fact much more complicated.

For a show about ranching life, Yellowstone is certainly ripe with interesting cowboy characters, and the actors who play them really nail that tough-guy attitude with their performances. However, not all of the cast members are just playing cowboys — as it turns out, some of them have actual cowboy credentials.

First of all, the series' creator Taylor Sheridan is a cowboy himself, having spent most of his childhood on a Texas ranch taking care of horses and even riding them. Naturally, the fact that he plays a cowboy named Travis Wheatley on Yellowstone only adds to the realism of the script.

Moreover, Forrie J. Smith, who plays Lloyd Pierce on the show, is a real-life cowboy too, known for his stellar performances on rodeos around the country.

Likewise, both Jake Ream and Ethan Lee are also professional horse trickers who started on the show as rodeo consultants. After spending some time behind the scenes, the two were invited by Sheridan to step in front of the camera to portray Dutton's ranch hands.

Finally, Ryan Bingham (Walker) is certainly the most interesting real-life cowboy to play a character in Yellowstone.

Bingham rode on a rodeo team at Tarleton University and later became a fairly successful singer. Incidentally, he struck up a friendship with Sheridan, who invited him to star in his 2017 film Wind River and then in Yellowstone.

So while Kevin Costner and Wes Bentley may not know much about being a cowboy, other cast members help them better understand the meaning of this tough lifestyle and use their experience to make the show more believable.