‘Yellowstone’: Kelly Reilly Reveals Why Beth Treats Monica Different Than Every Other Character
Episode 7 of Yellowstone Season 5, “The Dream Is Not Me,” showed fans a different side of Beth Dutton, a side that we haven’t seen in quite a long time. The first few minutes of the episode see the cowboys ride off early in the morning, sharing coffee outside their tents and warming up for the day. After they leave, Beth shares a sweet, heartfelt scene with Kelsey Asbille’s character Monica Dutton. After the episode aired, Beth Dutton actress Kelly Reilly revealed why her character treats Monica differently than all other people. See what she has to say in the clip below.
The threat of brucellosis might be one of the biggest the ranch has ever faced. The cast breaks down “The Dream Is Not Me.” #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/r8KuTG40Mr
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) December 19, 2022
“Every season I have a favorite character that I’m sort of drawn to,” Reilly explained, “and this year, it’s Monica.”
The scene mentioned above spotlights Monica as she bluntly asks Beth, “Why are you so mean?” to which Beth simply replies, “No reason.”
“Well I think it’s cruel,” the wife of Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton says.
Interestingly, instead of sharing a smart remark, Beth nods and admits, “Well, that’s why I don’t do it to you.”
Reflecting on Asbille’s character and that specific interaction between the two women, Reilly continued, “There’s such a goodness to Monica, a deep goodness that Beth does not see in herself.”
During that scene, Beth also, very briefly, lets down the wall she’s built up between herself and other people. Becoming vulnerable with Asbille’s character, Beth shares the truth about her inability to have children. Yellowstone executive producer, Stephen Kay, further spoke about Beth and why it is that she treats Monica so differently.
“Beth’s gear is, ‘I can put up a wall, I can crush anyone,’” he explained. “And she chooses not to crush Monica as, partly, because she just looks at her and sees something really pure and beautiful.”
Kelly Reilly spoke about Monica and Beth’s relationship after that scene as, especially now, they share “a sisterhood.” The actress continued, “[There’s] a deep empathy in Beth for her.”
‘Yellowstone’s Kelsey Asbille Details the Importance of Her Character’s Relationship with Beth
Monica has clearly had a major impact on Beth’s behavior in each interaction they share in Yellowstone. However, Beth also has a major impact on Monica this season. Just as Kelly Reilly’s been drawn to Monica, Beth has become an important person for Monica after losing her child during the season premiere.
Kelsey Asbille reflected on her character’s loss. She spoke about how Beth becomes vulnerable because of it, sharing how important the pair’s relationship is becoming.
“It’s something that really speaks to Monica,” the Yellowstone actress explained, “because it makes her not afraid of the loneliness” that often comes with grief.
Considering Beth’s behavior around other people versus her own, Kelsey Asbille continued, “Beth is different when she’s engaging with Monica.”
While we don’t get to see this soft side of Beth too often, it’s important, as her character seemingly only becomes harder, that fans remember she is human and she is a mother grieving loss at the end of the day. It lends humanity to one of the series’ most arguably cruel characters.
