Yellowstone has made us love and hate Beth in equal measures, but Kelly Reilly’s commitment to her character never diminishes, even in the face of great sacrifice.
Despite being a singular work of art in terms of character development, Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton is no less powerful than a wild stallion. With an emotionally destructive personality that sets her on a path of devouring enemies and terrorizing allies, the female lead of Yellowstone has driven the fans to feel as empowered as stark-raving mad by her on-screen presence.
Through it all, however, Taylor Sheridan and Kelly Reilly have co-adopted the character as their own, nurturing and growing Beth Dutton into a fully-formed woman ready to take on the whole world or burn it all down, if necessary.
Kelly Reilly’s Transformative Journey as Beth Dutton
When Yellowstone launched in 2018, Taylor Sheridan had already earned his spots as a writer-director due to his previous accomplishments via Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River. His addition to Paramount’s new streaming platform as its star breadwinner presented him with the perfect opportunity to build out an entirely new universe via Yellowstone.
Soon after, the leading Dutton family, the antiheroic protagonists of the story became the talk of the town. Kevin Costner‘s television renaissance as John Dutton and Kelly Reilly‘s volatile, indomitable role as his sociopathically vicious daughter against the backdrop of the Montana wilderness and its cowboy lifestyle became somewhat of a revelation to the American audience.
However, underneath the superficial façade of in-family rivalries and large corporate shakedowns, the overflowing arc of Beth Dutton, her willingness to fly in the face of danger, her insidious acts of revenge, and her razor-sharp one-liners slowly drew the audience closer to Yellowstone, before getting them completely infatuated with the character.
Kelly Reilly is Willing to Pay the Price for Beth Dutton
Despite the recent tumultuous events that have turned the fans against Beth Dutton, the long-held adoration toward Kelly Reilly’s arc was born from fear and respect. And the actress knew what it would cost to build such a character from the ground up, with the help of Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.
After the unforgettable episode that saw Beth Dutton becoming the victim of a bombing at her own office, the audience witnessed a side to the character that was never seen before. Despite being beaten, bruised, and burned one too many times throughout her life, the attack in Season 3’s explosive finale seems to have been the final straw for her.
Now scarred for life, wearing the marks on her body like a badge of honor then became an honorary reminder of the scars of her past as well. “This scar tells a story. That the pain she bore still remains on the outside,” says Abigail Steele [via Collider], Kelly Reilly’s make-up artist who imprinted the scars on her body through the entirety of Season 4.
Kelly Reilly spoke up on the same as well, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, stating:
When we had to do the burns on my back, my calls would be like at 3 o’clock in the morning to be on set. [Abigail], who does the special effects make-up is phenomenal at her job. She laid on every single burn. There were literally like 45 pieces of individual burns that she would paint on me.
Despite the cost that came with bearing the Beth Dutton, Kelly Reilly never once shied away from her duty to be truthful to her character, for better or for worse. And that showed in her personal growth in Season 4 as she took the time to heal, reconnect, and even grow alongside Cole Hauser‘s Rip.
Yellowstone is now streaming on Paramount+