The Yellowstone Villain Who Still Haunts My Dreams — Why Neal McDonough’s Role Was Pure Brilliance

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone took America by storm. Despite losing its main star, the show continues to both pack a punch and be reflective of a twisted version of the American Dream. The actors, the writing, and the cinematography all come together to create one of the most captivating shows on television. The way Yellowstone captures both the mystery and beauty of Montana while still allowing the characters and story, not just the setting to shine. There’s a reason as to why the show became a ratings juggernaut for Paramount Plus. There’s even a spin-off on the way called The Madison.

But, one character in Yellowstone caught my attention and remains in the back of my mind even to this day. McDonough has certainly earned his status as a prolific character actor. The actor often plays villains, but chief among them is his character in Yellowstone, Malcolm Beck. Because of how the character continues to linger in my mind, I believe that McDonough’s Malcolm Beck is the best villain in the show’s history.

McDonough Plays Real Estate Mogul Malcolm Beck On Yellowstone

His Character Has A Deeper Meaning

I’ve seen many depictions of evil characters on television, but few make my skin crawl as much as Malcolm Beck, played by Neal McDonough. His character and his brother, Teal are real estate moguls in Montana and are trying to undermine Thomas Rainwater’s efforts to build a casino. He is also involved with white supremacist groups, making him not only scary but also a racist.

Beck gives me chills for a multitude of reasons. McDonough’s performance is particularly blood-curling as his presence on screen. He’s dominant and intimidating, especially in his encounters with the other characters, especially Thomas Rainwater and the Duttons. His voice is sharp and biting and his facial expressions convey a sinister nature. Not to mention, Beck’s racist and violent tendencies make him a great villain.

An interest in real estate only covers one aspect of McDonough’s Malcolm Beck as he has a storied history in Yellowstone. Before encountering the Dutton family, Beck served on the liquor board of Montana. The show emphasizes that this title brought Beck a lot of power and responsibility, as he was able to determine which establishments could lawfully sell liquor.

Beck being involved with white supremacist groups makes his character even more despicable. He has connections to The Montana Free Militia and a Skinhead group in Whitefish, MT. Beck’s racist nature makes sense for his character, considering that he takes issue with Thomas Rainwater, the leader of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation. Beck and his brother Teal’s desire to build a casino on Indigenous land mirrors how the white settlers took over Native lands by force.

Again, it makes sense that Yellowstone, which takes place in Montana, would want to reflect “how the West was won,” so to speak. The show makes an effort to depict tensions between Indigenous Americans and White people through interactions such as Beck’s desire to build his own casino on Native land.

Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western drama Yellowstone revitalized interest in the genre, but it was born from a similar series with several major ties.

But, what makes Beck so scary is his final scene in the series. Beck’s brother, Teal, along with the help of a white supremacist militia, kidnaps John Dutton’s grandson, Tate, and all hell breaks loose. When John finds out that Teal is keeping Tate hostage, he tracks down Beck. John shoots Beck three times and demands he reveal the location where Teal is holding Tate.

In a chilling scene, John says to Beck, “You have one last chance to make it to heaven” if Beck reveals Tate’s location. John also promises that he will send his helicopter to transport Beck to the hospital. Beck refuses and chooses to die by himself in the plains of Montana. With his last breath, Beck admits that he wishes he never met John Dutton.

Other TV Roles McDonough Has Done

He Consistently Steals Teh Show

McDonough is well-versed in playing villains. He has played the antagonist in three series; Justified, Desperate Housewives, and Tulsa King.

His most recent appearance was in season 2 of Tulsa King. In the Paramount Plus hit, McDonough plays a territorial businessman named Cal Thresher. His character starts a territory war with Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi. One of Tulsa King’s writers spoke about McDonough as an actor, as Terence Winter described McDonough as “so intense.”

I feel that it’s important to discuss McDonough’s Cal Thresher as a character. In Tulsa King, Thresher starts out as a likable guy. He is pleasant in his interactions, but there is a threatening undertone to his conduct. From his first interaction in the series, McDonough clarifies that he will fight tooth and nail to keep his business empire the most powerful one in Tulsa. Thresher is made all the more menacing because of his ties to underground crime in Tulsa.

McDonough made a name for himself playing the antagonists in season 3 of Justified and season 5 of Desperate Housewives. On Justified, he played a mobster named Robert Quales who comes to Kentucky from Michigan to collect a debt from Emmitt Arnett. McDonagh brings a lot of threat and tension to the season. He also played David Williams, the villain in season 5 of Desperate Housewives, who is out for revenge on the residents of Wisteria Lane. In all of his roles, McDonough brings genuine fear to the audience through his portrayal of sneaky, despicable characters.

Why His Career Was In Jeopardy Because He Refused To Do Kissing/Sex Scenes

McDonough Lost A Job Because Of His Religious Views

Because McDonough identifies as a devout Catholic, he refuses to do nude/kissing scenes. It’s worth mentioning that McDonough is married to his wife, South African model Ruve Robertson. McDonough’s refusal to act in any potentially lewd scenes resulted in the actor being fired from a show called Scoundrels.

At the time, ABC executives chalked his removal from the series to the actor discussing difficulty securing roles with these conditions. In fact, McDonough would only agree to work on Desperate Housewives after creator Marc Cherry told him that he wouldn’t have to do any kissing scenes. Cherry eventually re-wrote some of McDonough’s scenes to ensure he wouldn’t have to do anything he opposed (via Yahoo!).

In an interview with Closer, McDonough detailed how his conditions cost him his job on Scoundrels.

“I was [surprised], and it was a horrible situation for me,” McDonough said. “After that, I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot. I am very religious. I put God and family first and me second. That’s what I live by. It was hard for a few years. Then [Band of Brothers producer] Graham Yost called me and said, ‘Hey, I want you to be the bad guy on Justified. I knew that was my shot back at the title.”

Why McDonough’s Malcolm Beck Is The Best Yellowstone Villain

He Represent American Capitalism

McDonough’s character Malcolm Beck represents the White man coming to take the Native Americans’ land. It’s interesting that Yellowstone, indicative of the Western genre, represents this idea. The message attached to Beck makes him much more threatening to me. He reflects many issues with American capitalism and even nationalism, and that’s why he’s so scary. He represents the threat that not only outsiders bring to the Native Reservation but also the threat of unregulated capitalism.

Beck is willing to let his brother and Tate Dutton die so that a casino can open. His motivations cause me to put his character into perspective. Beck could have saved himself and the people around him from so much harm and grief if he wasn’t so greedy. The show’s writing and McDonough’s delivery both sell the tragic nature of Malcolm Beck. He could have avoided a gruesome fate but was so blindsided by money that it didn’t matter who he hurt. The message attached to Beck makes him much more threatening to me.