Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western TV empire shows no signs of slowing down, as Yellowstone continues to expand with its own universe. Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford star in the prequel series 1923, as well as Tim McGraw and Sam Elliott in 1883. Plus, Matthew McConaughey is leading the way in his own Yellowstone sequel series following Kevin Costner’s exit. But none of this would be possible without the immense popularity of Yellowstone.
Set in rural Montana, the Paramount TV show centers on family dynasties and the power struggles of the cattle ranch owners known as the Duttons, as they attempt to keep a tight reign over their territory. It’s often been referred to as the country version of Succession, and thematically, one could argue that they do overlap in certain aspects. In the middle of it all is Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton.
Kelly Reilly’s ‘Yellowstone’ Performance Demands Your Attention
Our introduction to Beth Dutton in Yellowstone feels like a moment akin to walking out of your house and discovering firsthand that there’s a tornado coming. She’s a swirl of chaos and anger that drives through anything and anyone that stands in her way, a character that doesn’t ask but demands attention from across the screen. That’s the gravitational pull in Kelly Reilly’s performance as the daughter of one of the most powerful ranchers in Montana: John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner.
Beth is a compilation of flaws and virtues. She is often straddling the line between anti-hero and villain or toeing the balance between the two as skillfully as the most experienced tightrope walker. Juggling all of that anger, hurt, love, bitterness, and passion is a balancing act all on its own. Reilly’s is the kind of performance that comes to grace our screens only every couple of years, and the actress is one of those rare shooting stars, offering up one of the most gritty and nuanced characters on television right now. Considering her versatility from U.K. stage work and films like Pride and Prejudice to gritty roles in True Detective and Cavalry, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that she’s lighting up the screen on Yellowstone.
Kelly Reilly Is Both Confident and Vulnerable on ‘Yellowstone’
It’s often the case that female characters have to be either one thing or another, leaving no room for grey areas. However, it is in those in-between places where characters become all the more real to viewers, and that’s what Reilly brings to Beth. She has an energy and integrity that saves the performance from quickly becoming a caricature of a woman scorned or simply reacting to her overwhelming, men-heavy environment. Instead, she adapts to her situation and, by extension, makes it her own.
There’s also a candor to Reilly’s performance that goes all the way down to her mannerisms as Beth. From the way she lights her cigarettes to the swagger of her menacing walk, it’s a combination that instills fear in others as she makes her way through life while still being able to stay true to the more vulnerable moments that hold our attention whenever she’s on-screen. Her choice of weapon is words, which she wields with impunity. Reilly makes it look so easy, as Beth’s rejoinders often feel like they’re dragged from the depths of her soul — primarily when directed at her brother Jamie, played by Wes Bentley.
Beth also, unexpectedly, possesses an air of vulnerability that can often be hard to see in the midst of one of her violent outbursts — but Reilly reminds us that it’s there every time she looks directly at Dutton Ranch foreman Rip (Cole Hauser) or her father John. While the character initially started out as a display of anger and cynicism, aspects that have remained with her throughout, she’s evolved throughout each season of Yellowstone, too. What was once broken is still fractured but glued together as Reilly balances Beth’s newfound family and the undercurrent of her need for revenge against her brother Jamie. It’s a tricky balance to maintain, but one Reilly has perfected over the seasons.
Beth Dutton Is the True Heart of ‘Yellowstone’
Perhaps it’s also the level of sarcasm through which Reilly conveys a lot of Beth’s frustrations and disappointments. Part of Beth’s appeal is the way humor and irony drip through every word she utters, turning unintentional barbs into jokes half the time. Her abrasive nature, especially in how Reilly plays her, is unintentionally charming. Sometimes, as a viewer, one wonders whether or not it’s appropriate to laugh at some of the things she says. When commenting on her recent engagement to Rip, Beth’s father describes her palette as not that of “a blushing new bride,” to which she replies, “the blush was f*cked out of me years ago, dad.” It’s a clever remark capable of eliciting a shocked laugh from John Dutton himself.
Reilly’s performance also forces us to question the very concept of an antihero. How do you reconcile with a character who has undoubtedly been through so much pain throughout her life and held to different standards, while also holding up some semblance of accountability to her actions? Or is she merely acting according to the laws of her environment? Herein lies Reilly’s deep understanding of the character, which comes through every ounce of her performance.
There’s a small light inside Beth that Reilly keeps on in every scene for viewers to follow, a light nurtured with every passing season each time Beth regains a small sense of peace only to be inevitably blindsided by circumstances out of her control. It can leave the viewer just as angry and frustrated as Beth is when yet another opportunity at happiness is taken away from her. Ultimately, she refuses to let herself be pegged to any one assumption, ever-changing the way she’s seen, which leaves Reilly always in charge of every scene and moment on Yellowstone.
To say that Reilly’s Beth Dutton has been sorely overlooked is an understatement. Reilly plays the role of a lifetime and leaves nothing on the table. Her performance is more of a sprint than a run, as she funnels all of Beth, all her conflicting emotions, into a single scene. She manages to embody the character to frightening lengths in every second she inhabits her on-screen. Hers is the kind of performance that stays with viewers days after an episode, or even weeks, or months after a season is over. At the true heart of Yellowstone is Beth Dutton’s ever-complex characterization, sharp and skillful enough to leave us breathless every single time.