Kelly Reilly won a new legion of fans when she took on the role of troubled financier and ranch owner Beth Dutton in the Paramount Network drama Yellowstone. Many viewers of the series are keen to know more about the actress and how much she is paid for her role.
How much is Beth Dutton star Kelly Reilly paid for Yellowstone?
Television stars’ salaries are known to differ massively based on whether the show is on a cable, broadcast (i.e. free to air channel) or a streaming platform.
These streamers have become major players as their reach is global rather than just national. Given they have a much bigger audiences, they also have budgets to match this.
This is the biggest factor in terms of salaries – but some other elements which affect the pay of an actor or actress on a show is how big their role is in the programme and also how well they were known before signing up.
With Hollywood stars coming back to the small screen – which was previously shunned by A-listers and something of a pariah actors looked down on – television’s golden age has led to Oscar winners and the like signing on the dotted line.
Streamers have been known to pay their leading cast handsomely with some walking away with millions. In the middle are cable channels which include HBO and Showtime, who can afford to pay more than their broadcast rivals but generally not as much as the streaming services.
At the other end of the spectrum, stars on regular broadcast networks such as CBS or The CW can earn an estimated £29,700 ($40,000) per episode.
Yellowstone is an example of some big names appearing in a TV show with two-time Oscar winner Kevin Costner leading.
Joining him is Wes Bentley who shot to fame thanks to his turn in the Oscar-winning film American Beauty and British actress Kelly Reilly who has established herself across film and television.
Prior to Yellowstone, Reilly featured in numerous films including Pride and Prejudice opposite Keira Knightley, Eden Lake, Flight and the Sherlock Holmes film franchise.
Her TV credits included Above Suspicion, True Detective and Britannia, so she was fairly well-known on both sides of the Pond.
Along with Costner, Bentley and Reilly were two of the bigger names on the cast list when Yellowstone was announced.Accordingly, Reilly is likely to have been commanding a good figure for her work on Yellowstone although it’s likely Costner is likely to be paid the most as the most well-known name.
According to a Cinemablend article from 2020, Reilly makes around £163,000 ($200,000) per episode of Yellowstone and is on part with the likes of Bentley and Hauser.
A 2018 report from Business Insider suggests Costner takes home an estimated £414,000 ($500,000) per episode of Yellowstone. Some fans are also keen to know if Costner owns the Yellowstone ranch where the show is filmed.
There is an average of 10 episodes in each season of Yellowstone, so Costner is likely to make several million dollars from every series he does.
His salary may well have gone up since then as Yellowstone has grown in popularity, becoming one of the biggest shows in American television this year. Along with his fee, fans of Yellowstone are wondering if Costner also owns the ranch where the show is filmed.
Former Paramount Network chief Kevin Kay addressed Costner’s salary in 2017, saying: “The statement we wanted to make was that we’re open for business and we’re willing to pay top-tier actors whatever their quotes are. It sends a message and that’s what we want to do.”
Costner’s co-stars may also have seen a pay rise as the show’s viewership has increased. They may be making slightly less than this but still commanding a hefty paycheque.
While it doesn’t appear Reilly’s salary is readily available, Celebrity Net Worth has put her wealth down at an estimated £3.7million ($5million). Her Yellowstone salary is likely to have contributed to this quite a lot this figure.