What would Beth Dutton do? It’s become a question someone might ask themselves when they need to summon real grit.
Take it from Kelly Reilly, who plays the sharp-tongue, vodka-gulping “Yellowstone” character: There’s not much she wouldn’t do, if necessary.
Of the many roles Reilly has had, Beth Dutton brings out something feral, fierce and flawed in her — in the best way.
“This is a woman who jumped out of the car to howl at real wolves!” Reilly marvels in an interview over Zoom. “She is a woman in her 40s with unapologetic authenticity, never-ending loyalty and a quick wit!”
In real life, the London native doesn’t sound like an American ranch gal. She also has a shy laugh — again, unlike Beth Dutton.
Life is complicated, but good, as the wicked daughter of a cattle baron trying to live a simple life in Texas in the spinoff series “Dutton Ranch.” This weekend marks the end of its first season, and it’s already been renewed for a second. That comes as no surprise because the show has had the best ratings of any new series ever on Paramount+.
Doing the next installment in the “Yellowstone” saga wasn’t something Reilly, 48, took lightly. “Those were big boots to fill,” she says of going from the flagship “Yellowstone” to “Dutton Ranch” alongside Cole Hauser as her husband, Rip Wheeler. “The original show is something that I wanted to protect. I’m so proud of the work that we’ve done.”
Reilly, who lives in London with her husband, Kyle Baugher, shared her good life advice:
Go-getter
The daughter of a hospital receptionist and a police officer, Reilly was raised in Chessington, outside London. She studied at Tolworth Girls’ School, where she fell in love with drama courses. Her first break was on the 1995 series “The Biz.” Just like any actor, she had to fight for a foothold in show business. “As a teen, I even wrote to the producers of the TV series ‘Prime Suspect’ and asked for work,” she shares. “A few months later, I got an audition and later a role that was my first professional on-screen TV role. You have to really go after what you want in life.”
‘It’ factor
Reilly did a slew of English stage, screen and TV projects before nabbing a leading role opposite Denzel Washington in Robert Zemeckis’ “Flight.” Other roles have included “Heaven Is for Real,” “Calvary” and a short-lived ABC series called “Black Box,” in which she played a famed neuroscientist who solves mysteries. Then came a career-changing leading role in a Wild West series set in present times. “As an actress you are very lucky at any age to find ‘it’ in terms of great projects,” she says of “Yellowstone.”
Wild journey
She signed onto “Yellowstone” in 2017 for many reasons — including the chance to work with Kevin Costner, who would play her father. “It was such a well-written show. So much meat on the bone. The history of this family and their backstory was amazing,” Reilly says. “We were given this gift of watching these characters over so many seasons try to uncover who they are. … The real joy was the audience became so deeply involved in these characters. So connected to them. The fanbase is so loyal. They are really with us on this journey.”
Rocky times
Ask her: Will Beth and Rip ever have a boring day? In Season 1 of their spinoff, they went from their Montana ranch burning down to all their cattle on their new spot in Texas dying and battling corrupt neighbors led by Annette Bening. “I’m not sure that Beth and Rip are meant to have a peaceful life,” Reilly says. “That’s not in their karma. Yet all they want to do is sit out under the stars and be together … and that’s a beautiful thing that has resonated with audiences.”
Lone Star love
Reilly’s own love story has Texas origins, and it happened before “Yellowstone” was filmed there. “I met him at his brother’s wedding,” she says. “I was a plus-one and didn’t know anyone. I basically gate-crashed a wedding and fell in love with the best man who I thought was a Texan,” she says. He was really from Long Island, New York.
Small moments
Reilly says the beauty of Beth and Rip’s love story is that audiences could really watch their love grow over the seasons. “They felt the years of yearning the two had for each other,” she says. “She loves him so much. Rip is perfectly imperfect, which is perfect for her.” Her favorite moment of their TV romance? “I loved when they climbed onto the roof of the ‘Yellowstone’ big ranch in the first season to kiss and sip whiskey together. That was such a beautiful moment of these people who weren’t young, but they were grateful to be at this age and feel these feelings under that huge Montana sky with all the stars. It was really beautiful to me. … I also loved when they took off their shoes and just danced in the dirt. The small moments. That’s what you remember in life.”
Don’t sell out
Reilly says she has been asked to go on the Cameo app for “a lot of money.” It’s a place where celebs get paid to record video messages for fans. “Many of them want Beth Dutton telling them to go f—- themselves,” she says. “All of the lines from my work that get quoted back to me are Beth Dutton lines. I love it because they love her.”
