Even Yellowstone's Kelly Reilly Can't Handle Beth's Brand of Craziness

Many of her fans have gotten fed up with Beth, and as it turns out, so has Reilly.

“The need for revenge that she carries in her - it’s pretty dark,” the British actress said in the 2022 interview.

ET's Cassie DiLaura asked about the relationship between Beth and her foster brother, Jamie. Reilly said that filming the scenes between the characters is tough because they’re “filled with pain.” Especially as the show’s progressed, Beth has been increasingly unstable. She’s incredibly cruel and occasionally abusive to Jamie, and Reilly said it’s sometimes difficult to get into that mindset.

She said that when she’s acting as Beth, she’s “full in” - completely enveloped into the character. But then she’ll step away from the cameras, rewatch her lines, and not even remember having said some of Beth’s lines. Her persona is so removed from her character, she treats them as separate entities.

She called the relationship “toxic” and “full of betrayal,” particularly on Beth’s end. She’s fought him, cursed him, even threatened to kill him. It’s a difficult role to play, but she perfectly encapsulates the pain that makes Beth so unhinged.

While it’s easy on the surface to root for Jamie, it should be remembered that he had her sterilized when she came to him for an abortion. But, fans argue, that was a youthful mistake over two decades ago. At some point, what she’s put Jamie through has been far more cruel than he deserves.

DiLaura asked if Reilly thinks the Beth-Jamie relationship can ever be healed. Reilly said she doesn’t know, but she hopes her character can find peace. “I don’t think you can find peace if you hold that much pain.”

This is far more than a traditional brother-sister quarrel. Beth has said to her father (Kevin Costner’s John Dutton) that Jamie needs to be killed. Jamie once considered hiring a professional to murder his sister. It seems like peace might not be on the horizon.

While Reilly’s sympathetic toward the pain that makes Beth the way she is, she admits that her character is toxic. It’s understandable that she needs to separate herself so deeply from the unhinged, borderline-crazy character.

Beth is certainly not a fan-favorite, but Reilly’s portrayal has been renowned. She was just nominated for the 2023 Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, though she lost to Euphoria’s Zendaya.