Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton Star Gets Candid About Character’s Arc: “I Wish For Something Else”

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Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly reveals that she doesn’t agree with all of Beth Dutton’s story. The show, created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, premiered on Paramount Network back in 2018. Reilly has appeared in all five seasons of the neo-Western drama as the daughter of John Dutton (Kevin Costner), whose background in finance and loyalty to the ranch have proven beneficial. Over the course of Yellowstone, Beth’s romance with Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) and spiteful relationship with her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) have become important to the character’s development.

During a featurette included on the Yellowstone season 5 part 1 DVD (via Insider), which took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Reilly discussed the evolution of her role on the show. The actor explained that she does not always know what her character will do and revealed that at times, “I wish for something else.” Read Reilly’s comments regarding Beth below:

” I’m coming to it almost the same as the audience. I mean, I have my hopes and thoughts for the character. Also, as I’ve played her for over five years now, I feel like I know her so well, but I’m still learning. There are still things that I read, and I didn’t expect, or sometimes I wish for something else for her, but that’s the same as the audience. We’re all sort of beholden to the vision of the storyteller, and we serve the story. Who knows what’s going to happen? I find that exciting as an actor.”

Editor’s Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the show covered here would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

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Beth Dutton’s Story In Yellowstone Explained

Beth has been a resistant force throughout Yellowstone, remaining strong-willed, but protective of her family. One memorable moment from season 2, when she dealt with a store owner and police officers accusing Monica (Kelsey Asbille) of theft, demonstrated how supportive, and intimidating, she could be. She is also not afraid of a fight, as evidenced by the bloody altercation with Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo), or the hit against the woman flirting with Rip.

Beth has been in a relationship with Rip for years, and it was revealed that she was carrying his child at one point, though with Jamie’s assistance, the pregnancy was terminated. She eventually decided to propose, and the two were married during Yellowstone season 4, to the enjoyment of fans of the show. When it comes to her and Jamie’s dynamic, though, the siblings have been at odds for a while and their rivalry will likely come to a head when Yellowstone season 5 returns.

At the end of Yellowstone season 5 part 1, Jamie called for John’s impeachment and Beth warned him that a war had been instigated. It is worth wondering who will come out on top when the new episodes air, and audiences are already anticipating a potential death. It will be interesting to see what happens to Beth and how her story in Yellowstone continues, especially now that the stakes seem to be rising leading up to the show’s conclusion following Kevin Costner’s infamous exit.

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