What We Know About Riley Keough's Husband, Ben Smith-Petersen
Riley Keough values the privacy of a romantic relationship. Growing up as the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley helped her develop an appreciation for downtime. While discussing her comparatively peaceful marriage to stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen, Keough recalled the "constant stimulation" of being a child of a famous singer, and the grandchild of Elvis Presley, as she told Interview in 2021.
The "Zola" star did not drag her feet with her decision to marry Smith-Petersen, as the two wed not long after they began dating. In August 2014, he announced their engagement by sharing a photo of Keough wearing the engagement ring on Facebook. "They're perfect for each other. Great people," a source told Us Weekly at the time. The couple tied the knot in February 2015, one year after the start of their relationship, per People.
Early on in their marriage, Keough was forthright about the uneven track record of Hollywood couples staying together long-term. "You know, I'm not delusional or a complete idiot, and neither is Ben," she told Town & Country in 2015 while discussing her marriage. "The Girlfriend Experience" actor credited Lisa Marie with helping her navigate both fame and relationships. "She's the one who kept me from not turning out how she didn't want me to turn out," Keough added. Her marriage to Smith-Petersen happened before Keough rose to fame, and their relationship was related to her big break.
They met while working on a blockbuster film
Riley Keough met Ben Smith-Petersen while working on "Mad Max: Fury Road" together. Keough played an integral role as one of Immortan Joe's wives while Smith-Petersen worked on the stunt crew. The future couple did not meet during the principal shooting but hit it off during reshoots. Early on in their courtship, the two had a strong connection. "Two weeks into dating him, we were at a gas station and I was like, 'I could see myself having kids with this person,'" Keough recalled to USA Today in 2016. "It was kind of like I knew I was meeting my husband. It was very cool," she added.
They began dating and were married before "Fury Road" even hit theaters in 2015, as they knew they had a special bond. "I didn't overthink it," Keough told USA Today. "Sometimes you just have to go with life and see what happens."
In 2017, while appearing on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," Keough was asked about her husband's role in "Fury Road." The late-night host mentioned how the stuntman played a character named Doof Warrior. For that part, Smith-Petersen was heavily bandaged and fully covered. Keough said she never fully saw his face until they did reshoots. O'Brien added that he was shocked by how handsome the Australian stuntman was in person. Smith-Petersen has a varied resume that includes more than simply performing stunts.
Ben Smith-Petersen has a few acting credits of his own
Ben Smith-Petersen has an impressive resume that includes stunt work on major films such as "The Suicide Squad," "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," "Triple Frontier" where he performed as Garrett Hedlund's double, and "Mad Max: Fury Road," per IMDb. Besides the film they met Riley Keough on, Smith-Petersen also worked alongside his wife as the stunt coordinator on "Dixieland" in 2017, which starred Keough.
In addition to his stunt work, Smith-Petersen has picked up some acting credits. Perhaps his most notable work as an actor was being cast as a co-lead in the indie horror flick "The Dead Thing." Deadline revealed that production wrapped in 2022, with the film being described as "a neo-realist take on an Invisible Man story and a modern urban legend for the online dating era." Before finding success with stunts and acting, the Australian performer dipped his toes in the music pool. Smith-Petersen was the singer and star of the song "Sandpaper," which was given a video by the Van Vuuren Bros in 2013.
When they are not busy working on projects, both Smith-Petersen and Keough have often gushed over each other on social media. In 2021, the stunt performer took to Instagram to show off a spicy tattoo of his wife's name located above his pelvic region. He flashed the ink in a photo next to the "Hold the Dark" star as she pulled down the top of his pants.