In the brutal world of Yellowstone, the spotlight often burns brightest on the fighters, the shot-callers, the men who move like thunder across the plains. Two actors embodied two very different forces in that universe: Cole Hauser, the face behind the unrelenting storm that is Rip Wheeler, and Forrie J. Smith, the soul behind the steady, weathered calm of Lloyd Pierce.
Their characters shared one of the show’s most powerful, unspoken friendships. But the men portraying them? Entirely different energies — and that contrast is exactly why the fandom still argues over who delivered the more unforgettable performance.
Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler): The Walking Tempest
Cole Hauser doesn’t play Rip — he becomes him. His performance is built on physicality, emotional restraint that feels dangerous, and a stare that communicates war even when no words are spoken. Hauser brought a magnetism that made audiences fear the shadows and admire them at the same time.
Rip, through Hauser, was the embodiment of loyalty weaponized. A man who didn’t need to shout to dominate a scene — his silence was the threat.
Forrie J. Smith (Lloyd Pierce): The Older Flame That Never Burned Out
Forrie J. Smith didn’t need theatrics to make Lloyd matter. His performance was lived-in, textured with real cowboy history, grief lines, and decades of experience. Where Hauser brought intensity, Smith brought authenticity. Lloyd felt like a man who existed before the cameras rolled and would continue long after they stopped.
Lloyd wasn’t the storm — he was the bonfire in the cold, constant, dependable, unshakable.
The Friendship They Portrayed Was the Story’s Backbone
Lloyd watched Rip evolve from a broken boy into the sharpest blade in John Dutton’s arsenal. Rip never saw Lloyd as “just another ranch hand” — he saw him as an older brother who understood without interrogating, judged without condemning, and stood by him without needing credit.
Their bond wasn’t built on speeches, embraces, or sentimental declarations. It was built on:
-
Years of shared labor
-
Shared bloodshed
-
Shared grief endured in silence
-
And the quiet certainty that neither man ever stood alone
Hauser acted that bond through coiled emotion and sharp stillness.
Smith acted it through warmth, lived-in wisdom, and a calm that felt eternal.
Different styles. Same message.
You’re not alone. Not here. Not ever.
So who delivered it better? Fans, it’s time to choose a side
-
Are you Team Cole Hauser, whose intensity turned Rip into a modern Western legend?
-
Or Team Forrie J. Smith, whose quiet authenticity made Lloyd the emotional foundation of the ranch?
One was the storm.
The other was the fire that survived it.
