Kelly Reilly is a 21st century Lady Macbeth as Beth Dutton on ‘Yellowstone’
Every once in a while, a television character comes along that is so unforgettable, they inevitably hit a nerve with fans and critics, driving viewership and generating deafening social media buzz for their show and the actor that portrays them. This year, British actress Kelly Reilly seems to have finally taken that mantle after a dynamite 10-episode fourth season of Paramount Network‘s blockbuster neo-Western “Yellowstone,” which wrapped on January 2, 2022.
Reilly has earned gushing raves from millions of fans worldwide for portraying the vicious Beth Dutton, a 21st century Lady Macbeth who scorches the earth around her in pursuit of her intense, white-hot quest for vengeance over the catastrophic events of the show’s third season finale, which ended on a cliffhanger as the each of the key members of the Dutton family were ambushed by an unknown enemy.
“Yellowstone” was created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”), about a powerful Montana ranching family under constant threat by politicians, developers and the neighboring Native American reservation. Oscar, Emmy and SAG Award winner Kevin Costner (“Dances With Wolves,” “Hatfields & McCoys”) stars as family patriarch John Dutton and Reilly co-stars as his daughter Beth, alongside TV siblings Luke Grimes and Wes Bentley, and Cole Hauser as Beth’s lover Rip.
The series is a massive hit for Paramount Network, with its fourth season premiere watched by a staggering 8.38 million live viewers, breaking ratings records as cable’s most watched episode of any series since 2018. The critics have also come on board, with season 4 scoring an impressive 86% “fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and claiming nominations so far this year from the producers guild, the cinema audio society, and a SAG Award nomination for Best Drama Ensemble.
If “Yellowstone” follows in the footsteps of other recent successful award-winning TV Westerns like “Deadwood,” “Justified” and “Westworld,” expect it to increase its Emmy nominations tally later this year. While it has an excellent shot to score across the board among the TV Academy’s below-the-line branches, its actors should also be in the conversation for Emmy love later this year now that its cast has scored a rare ensemble bid from SAG Awards voters. And if anyone from this cast can do it, my money is on Reilly.
Beth Dutton is a modern-day Lady Macbeth. A formidable, manipulative and ruthless power-player, who has proved time and time again that she is stronger and more ambitious than her male siblings and sometimes even her tough-as-nails father, patriarch of the legendary Yellowstone ranch and keeper of the Dutton legacy. Like her Shakespearean forebear, Reilly’s fascinating portrayal of Beth is centered on the dynamics at play between power and gender, with Beth often displaying a take-no-prisoners attitude, her beguiling presence and steely, undaunted leer belying her true nature as a deeply broken, vengeful woman scorned, only rarely ever showing her vulnerability or weakness.
This of course gives Reilly some of the best material on the show, as Beth often has the last say, delivering the best one-liners of anyone on the show. In this day and age of political correctness, it’s no wonder that audiences appear to have crowned her their fan favorite, waiting each episode with bated breath for her to cut the men around her down to size with a terrifying glance or gesture, or a cutting insult or dismissal.
Watch out, Emmy pundits. Reilly is coming for that Emmy award. Who are we to deny her?
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