Over the course of its five seasons, “Yellowstone” has increasingly become home to one layered and divisive character after another. Still, few can push the buttons of viewers and the show’s fellow denizens in the way that Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) can. Abrasive, petty, vengeful, and downright nasty, Beth has become a force to be reckoned with in the series and has split fan reactions to her as a result.
However, Reilly herself comes to Beth and “Yellowstone” in very much the same way as any fan of the series does. In an August interview with Insider, the performer offered her own thoughts on Beth’s journey, and they’d be right at home in any online discussion of the popular neo-western.
“I’m coming to it almost the same as the audience,” Reilly said. “I mean, I have my hopes and thoughts for the character. Also, as I’ve played her for over five years now, I feel like I know her so well, but I’m still learning.” The actor also went on to explain that even after so many years playing Beth Dutton on “Yellowstone,” she’s still surprised by where the character goes from time to time. In fact, the more Reilly talked about her longtime starring role in “Yellowstone,” the more she started to sound like any other viewer of Taylor Sheridan’s popular series. “There are still things that I read, and I didn’t expect, or sometimes I wish for something else for her, but that’s the same as the audience,” she said.
Kelly Reilly finds the surprises to be engaging and exciting
Even though Kelly Reilly may sometimes be disappointed in Beth’s decisions, the series still keeps her guessing. And it’s this element of surprise that keeps her excited to see where “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan takes the character.
“We’re all sort of beholden to the vision of the storyteller, and we serve the story,” she went on. “Who knows what’s going to happen? I find that exciting as an actor.” As the story of “Yellowstone” seems to be ratcheting forward to its inevitable conclusion, fan speculation about the fates of its surviving characters is at an all-time high.
While John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is unlikely to survive for very long when the series returns for Season 5, Part 2, that still leaves the long-simmering feud between Beth and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) to be settled. And it’s probably safe to say that it’s going to end in blood. Still, with no word yet on when the series will be returning, fans and Reilly herself are going to have to wait and see where “Yellowstone” goes next.