‘Yellowstone’ Star Kelly Reilly Reveals Character Beth Is ‘Going to Destroy’

Beth Dutton has her eyes set on Summer Higgins as Season 5 of Yellowstone looms. Actress Kelly Reilly teased more intense moments between her character and the activist in a new interview with TVLine, revealing that John Dutton’s love interest isn’t off the hook with Beth even as she faces time behind bars.

“Beth wants her father to be happy,” Reilly said of her character’s mindset. “She just has no respect for this particular woman. She sees Summer as an enemy, someone who has absolutely no respect for their way of life. [She and her fellow protesters] just come in with this very basic understanding, thinking that [ranchers] all just rednecks.”

“Beth isn’t going to walk her through it,” she continued. “She’s just going to quietly destroy her. And it’s so easy for Beth to do that. We know it’s so easy for her to do that! That capacity for violence and cruelty that Beth has in her is quite terrifying, actually.” Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan made sure that there was plenty for Reilly and Piper Perabo to play with in terms of their characters’ differences, although Reilly admitted she has plenty of similarities to Summer. 

“I think Taylor has a lot of fun with that,” reasoned the actress. “I’m not vegan, but I’m vegetarian and very much about animal welfare. I care about the same things Summer cares about.” She added, “Of course, Taylor does, too. But he puts Beth in the position of being the antithesis of all of that. And she does it just to get a reaction, to provoke.”

Reilly previously told TVLine that Beth’s refusal to let Carter call her mama in the Season 4 finale was another tough moment of separation for her and her character. “America went after me for that!” she said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘That’s the character, not me!’ But I get it. I wish she would [let herself be a mother to him], too.” She continued, “But think about it. If she’s telling this kid that she’s just met, ‘Yeah, I’ll be your mom,’ that’s not truthful to him.” Yellowstone returns for Season 5 on Sunday, Nov. 13 on Paramount Network.