“I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t American”: The Yellowstone Star Who Had Taylor Sheridan’s Blessing Pulled Off the Impossible by Fooling the Whole Country

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone is a benchmark when it comes to the Western genre. Following the lives of the Dutton family members, who own the biggest ranch in America, the show has no dull moments. And contributing to all that excitement are the cast members, who have become synonymous with their respective roles.

Kelly Reilly plays Beth Dutton in the show, and according to creator Taylor Sheridan, she was made to play the role. What may come as a surprise to many fans, is that the foul-mouthed Southern diva from Yellowstone is a shy and soft-spoken woman from the other side of the sea.

Kelly Reilly Fooled Yellowstone Fans Into Believing Her Lies

Kelly Reilly, much to the surprise of fans, and even some of her co-stars, is an English actress. Playing a Southerner in Yellowstone, it would be impossible for someone without insider knowledge to figure out that she is, not from America, let alone from the South. In a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Reilly revealed how she mastered the accent for Beth.

I work with a dialect coach who helps me, and that’s just a bit of hard ground, just sitting at home, just, you know, just going over and over and over it.

She further added that she avoided speaking to people on the set unless absolutely necessary.

The first season when I first played Beth, I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t American. I mean people knew but not everyone knew… It’s not that I stayed in an accent but I just didn’t talk to anyone.

For a long time, Reilly even refused to hang out with her cast and crew members because she didn’t want to break the illusion of her character. And that was how she managed to fool everyone into thinking and believing that she was just another Southerner playing the hardcore role of Beth Dutton.

Taylor Sheridan Knew Kelly Reilly Was Born to Play Beth

While the actress herself doubted whether she would be able to do justice to the role of Beth Dutton, Taylor Sheridan knew right away that she was the one. As revealed by the actress herself, Sheridan allegedly knew right away that she was perfect for the role after watching her audition tape. He would call her in the middle of the night and give her notes on how to play the character of Beth.

It is such a tremendously complicated role, I wasn’t sure if I was the right person for it. And then he would just fill my head, he would call me up at midnight and be like here is what you need to know about Beth.

His confidence in her gave Reilly the confidence to pursue the role. And now it is almost impossible to imagine the role of Beth without imagining the face of Kelly Reilly alongside it. Reilly will be returning to the character for the second part of the fifth and final season of the show.

All seasons of Yellowstone are available for streaming on Paramount+.