Like many Yellowstone fans, I was sad to say goodbye to the Dutton family when the series ended in 2024. What makes me even sadder is that I don’t get to see more of actor Lilli Kay as Clara Brewer, the faithful assistant to John Dutton during his time as Governor of Montana in season 5. Not only was Clara intelligent, loyal, and tough as nails, but she also provided the show with some much-needed queer representation, and even made history with the first LGBTQ+ kiss in Yellowstone history.
Kay’s father is, consequently, Steven Kay, who was a director and producer on Yellowstone. Luckily, Clara isn’t Kay’s only acting role. She is also set to appear in the upcoming Apple TV+ show, Stick, which stars Owen Wilson as a former pro golfer who takes a young golf prodigy under his wing. Stick is due to release on June 4, 2025, but for those like me who are eager to see more of Lilli Kay before then, there are several TV series and movies in her backlog that are worth the watch.
Penelope Fowler In Chambers (2019)
A Student Who Develops An Unhealthy Obsession With Sasha
In the Netflix paranormal thriller series Chambers, a teen girl named Sasha has a heart transplant, and begins seeing visions of the heart’s previous owner, a young woman named Becky. When Sasha begins having disturbing visions of Becky’s memories, she decides to investigate the mysterious events surrounding Becky’s death. With everyone around her keeping dark secrets, Sasha must walk the line between life and death to find out the truth.
Lilli Kay plays Penelope Fowler, a student at Sasha’s school who claimed to be a friend of Becky’s. Over time, it’s revealed that Penelope was actually obsessed with Becky, and secretly placed a video camera in Becky’s room to spy on her. Yet as Sasha is continually taken over by Becky’s spirit, Penelope finds her new obsession in Sasha. Kay does an incredible job as Penelope, playing the character with chilling subtlety and nuance. Despite the equally impressive performances of stars like Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn, Netflix canceled Chambers after just one season.
Emily Walker In August At Twenty-Two (2022)
Lilli Kay’s Feature Film Debut
In the indie drama August at Twenty-two, a struggling actor in her 20s named Cal is reunited with her long-lost love, a young man named Jacob, at a party. Just when old feelings start to surface, Jacob introduces Cal to his steady girlfriend, Emily (played by Lilli Kay), a photographer. At first, Cal is crushed, but decides to change tactics and attempt to win back her soulmate. However, as Cal spends more time with Emily, the two women find that the chemistry between them is undeniable.
August at Twenty-two is the debut film for director Sophia Castuera, and was also Lilli Kay’s feature film. Although it never quite took off outside the film festival circuit, the film is an underrated drama with excellent LGBTQ+ representation, and Kay’s fantastic performance as Emily proved that she was ready to take on even more challenging roles.
Fia Baxter In Your Honor (2020-2023)
Fia Dates Adam Without Knowing He Killed Her Brother
One of the best lawyer shows currently on Netflix, Your Honor stars Bryan Cranston as Michael Desiato, a New Orleans judge who gets in over his head when his son crosses a dangerous crime family. When 17-year-old Adam Desiato commits a hit-and-run that kills Rocco Baxter, the son of crime boss Jimmy Baxter, Michael’s sense of justice is overridden by the need to protect his flesh and blood. Unfortunately, Michael’s efforts ironically end in Adam’s tragic death in season 1.
Lilli Kay plays Fia Baxter in Your Honor, Rocco’s sister, who eventually begins a relationship with Adam without realizing that he was the one responsible for her brother’s death. In season 2, it was revealed that Fia had given birth to Adam’s baby, although she made the difficult choice to give up the baby in the Your Honor season 2 finale.
Lilli Kay’s Other Roles
She Has Played Supporting Parts In Several Movies Based On True Stories
Even with her career spanning less than a decade, Lilli Kay has amassed an impressive body of work. Her first acting role was in the 2018 HBO TV movie, Paterno, in which she worked alongside greats such as Al Pacino and Kathy Baker. The movie tells the true story of Joe Paterno, the Penn State University football coach who was dismissed from his job after allegations of child sexual abuse in 2011.
In 2019, Kay had a guest role on a season 5 episode of Madam Secretary, the political drama series starring Téa Leoni which aired for six seasons on CBS. Kay then went on to have a role in another biopic, Rustin, in 2023, playing political strategist Rachelle Horowitz. The period drama stars Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin, the man who organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Rustin’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement have been famously downplayed until recently due to his being gay.
Continuing a streak of “true story” movies, Kay appeared as an unnamed character in the upcoming IFC film, The Luckiest Man In America, the absurd tale of how game show contestant Michael Larson conned his way into winning millions of dollars on 1984’s Press Your Luck. She recently took on a supporting role in the indie romcom, For Worse, which premiered at SXSW 2025. With Yellowstone sadly over, I’m very much looking forward to seeing Kay in her new role in the Apple TV+ show Stick — which, given the streaming site’s successful run of original series lately, is surely not to be missed.