Following roles like Caroline in the 2005 adaptation of “Pride & Prejudice” and the Lady Macbeth-like Jordan Semyon on Season 2 of HBO crime drama “True Detective,” Kelly Reilly joined the main cast of “Yellowstone” as Beth Dutton, the only adult daughter of John Dutton (Kevin Costner).
Beth, notably, is a popular character among fans, as one of the toughest and most resilient members of the Dutton family. Beth’s toughness, however, doesn’t always manifest in positive ways. For instance, a number fans and even Reilly herself struggled with a scene in which she tells Carter (Finn Little), her adoptive son of sorts, that she’s not actually his mother, as she expects to soon go to jail and leave him without her guardianship. While Reilly provided fans some insight into Beth’s state of mind in that moment after the scene first aired, she likewise described it as an emotional moment for her as a performer. Separately, Reilly has even described Beth as a character that has generally gone too far.
Now, in a recent interview published between “Yellowstone” Seasons 4 and 5, Reilly opened up about how she feels playing such a notoriously difficult character.
Reilly characterized the role of Beth as a challenge
As part of a series of articles published in advance of the 2022 Emmy Awards, The Wrap interviewed Kelly Reilly about the role of Beth Dutton. During this discussion, Reilly opened up about how it felt to portray such a large and complex character over the course of the first four seasons of “Yellowstone.”
“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,” she said. “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.”
This comment tracks with an earlier interview published by Esquire, in which interviewer Justin Kirkland described “Yellowstone” Season 4 as the series’ most intense yet for Beth in particular. “Every year I think, okay, next season I’m just going to be gentle. It’ll be much quieter for Beth next season. Then I get the scripts and I’m like, how am I going to do this?” Reilly replied.
Whether or not Reilly ultimately ends up an Emmy nominee — for what it’s worth, Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg lists her as a frontrunner — this latest interview confirms that embodying Beth is perhaps a greater challenge than a typical acting role, albeit a challenge for which Reilly is game.