Yellowstone's Lilli Kay Was Nervous About How Beth Would React To Clara
If there is one "Yellowstone" character unafraid to speak their mind, it's Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). Beth can be loyal and loving, but she can also spit venom when she feels threatened. Her own brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) is walking proof Beth is uninterested in apologies for her enemies, forgiveness being something she's never even entertained offering Jamie.
Beth is extremely protective of the rest of her family, especially her father John Dutton (Kevin Costner), typically making enemies out of just about every woman who steps into his life. In "Yellowstone" Season 5, John is navigating the murky waters of politics as Montana's governor. He keeps one staff member from the previous administration around, Clara Brewer (Lilli Kay). She quickly becomes an essential ally to the family, fitting since the actress wanted to be on the show thanks to her father, "Yellowstone" director and executive producer Stephen Kay.
"My dad would brag to me about how he was spending every single day with horses and amazing actors. I was like, 'hey, I'm a horse person! I want to come hang out!'" the actress told Deadline. In the same interview, Kay revealed she was nervous about how Beth would react to her character being invited into the small Dutton circle.
Lilli Kay was surprised by Beth's reaction to her character
Shockingly, Clara Brewer managed to work with Beth Dutton without having her head ripped off, a welcome surprise for Lilli Kay.
"I was really nervous at first because I love Kelly Reilly so much and it's so fun acting with her because you never know how Beth is gonna respond to something. At first there wasn't closeness, but Beth was pretty relaxed around Clara, which I was really happy about. Clara gets more and more entrenched in the Dutton family's life," Kay told Deadline.
Also appearing on "Yellowstone" is director Stephen Kay's wife, Piper Perabo, Lilli Kay's stepmother. The actress portrays Summer Higgins, an environmentalist who strikes up a surprising romance with John Dutton. That character did not get such a gracious welcome from Beth. According to Kay, her family connections helped her get considered for the part of Clara, but creator Taylor Sheridan was also already aware of the young actress' work and, more importantly, knew she could saddle up on a horse without issue.
"Taylor Sheridan had seen my work. I had known him for a while and he knew that I could ride, so he threw me in the mix. My dad directs a lot of the show and EPs the show, which was a very sneaky move that I made," Kay said.