“I approached her like Lady Macbeth”: Kelly Reilly Finds No Role More Demanding than Yellowstone’s Beth in Her Entire Career

When Yellowstone’s Kelly Reilly had to dig deep to find inspiration for her character.

Kelly Reilly was the heart of Yellowstone, who managed to stand out amidst a sea of well-known actors.

Kelly Reilly made a lot of heads turn and jaws drop as Beth Dutton on Yellowstone. The British actress really took the character written for her and made it her own. In doing so, Reilly managed to leave a lasting impression in the minds of fans, throughout the five seasons of the show.

Playing Dutton was no easy feat for the star. However, as an artist, she let another extremely popular character from a timeless classic inspire her: Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth.

Reilly took inspiration from Lady Macbeth

Yellowstone‘s Kelly Reilly was pushed to her limits with her character

Since Yellowstone first premiered on television screens in 2018, the show has quickly amassed a loyal fanbase. As a neo-western show, its popularity surged, and coupled with immaculate acting and a well-written script, the show even landed its first Emmy nomination in 2021.

While there are several standout characters played by well-known faces of the industry, Kelly Reilly always held her own. She stood out amidst a sea of talent, such as Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan.

Reilly’s Beth Dutton quickly became a fan favorite owing to her repartees. Despite her struggles with nicotine addiction, she became a sort of maternal figure to a young orphan too. Dutton was not an easy character to play, especially considering that Reilley is such a jovial person. Hence, her portrayal of such a complex character is nothing short of incredible.

Reilly found the role challenging

In an interview with The Wrap in 2022, the actress opened up about the challenges that this role brought. She offered an insight into how she slipped into the character, and where she drew inspiration from.

“I kept to myself the first couple of years, just sort of hid in the role, mostly just to convince myself that I could pull it off. I approached her like Lady Macbeth, but the amount of color I get to play with her is, as an actor, a real gift. Beth is the most challenging role I’ve ever had to play,” she said.

The show from Paramount has won critical acclaim from all quarters. With its run coming to an end after five spectacular seasons, Reilly finally revealed the one feature she disliked strongly about her character.

Kelly Reilly really hates one aspect of Beth Dutton in Yellowstone

Throughout the show’s run, Dutton became a favorite for her penchant for provocation. She used her wit as a whip, and it left a trail of wreckage if she truly wanted that.

Reilly enjoyed her tête-à-têtes with her colleagues, but there is one trait she intensely dislikes about Dutton. The actress is not a fan of smoking, and she will not miss shooting it, as she revealed to ET in 2022.

Reilly disliked smoking

“I don’t smoke, so all those cigarettes are the herbal cigarettes. I hate them so much and he [Taylor Sheridan] has it in the script when she’s smoking and when she takes a drag, it’s all written,” she said.

Taylor Sheridan’s show might be ending, but there is still much to look forward to. The universe will expand in the spinoff that is slated to come out this year. The show can be streamed on Netflix.