Kelly Reilly has played a variety of roles over her acting career, but none of those roles have been as polarizing than her character of Beth Dutton on Yellowstone.
Beth’s hard nosed, unapologetic, “take no prisoners” attitude in order to keep the Dutton’s family name alive and well has left a number of memorable moments over the past four seasons of the show.
Reilly recently sat down for an interview with The Wrap, and kicked things off by weighing in on the dramatic rise in popularity Yellowstone has seen in recent years, comparing it to another show that saw a similar quick rise to success:
“I always remember my friends talking about ‘Breaking Bad,’ and it was this kind of kooky, small show that I was like, ‘I’ve got to catch up with it.’ And then all of a sudden I remember Season 5 was about to air and it just became an event.
I was at home in England when our (latest season) was airing and got the call about what the numbers were and I thought they were joking!”
9.3 million viewers tuned in for Yellowstone season four’s finale, and with the groundbreaking success of the season, it has led to the show’s invitation to this year’s Emmys, and many believe Reilly is the frontrunner to win an award this year.
Needless to say, the British actor could have never predicted this kind of success.
In fact, she wasn’t even sure if she could land the role in the first place:
“I didn’t think that it was in the bag. I figured every actor would want this part. I had such an intense reaction to the role. And Taylor Sheridan’s writing I just find so exciting and dangerous, and I responded to it emotionally.”
She also noted that Beth Dutton has been the most challenging role she’s ever had:
“I kept to myself the first couple of years, just sort of hid in the role, mostly just to convince myself that I could pull it off.
I approached her like Lady Macbeth, but the amount of color I get to play with her is, as an actor, a real gift. Beth is the most challenging role I’ve ever had to play.”
Reilly also credits her amazing cast she acts alongside with, in particular, Kevin Costner:
“You’re only as good as the other actors that you’re in a scene with, and Kevin is just so charismatic, and he can just break your heart with his stillness.
He’s got such a weight to him now as he’s older, I love just seeing the lines on his face.”
And when she was asked what to expect for Season 5, she responded:
“Who knows where we’re going this season, but I know it will be exciting. The fact that we’re working for an audience of this many people gives us a lot to live up to.”
Season 5 is set to premiere on Sunday, November 13th, only on Paramount Network.
Get excited.
