You Definitely Recognize Mia From Yellowstone And She's Gorgeous In Real Life

With two famous actors for parents, it's no wonder Eden Brolin is such a natural in front of the camera. The daughter of "Dune" actor Josh Brolin and Alice Adair, Eden has been immersed in the acting world since she was a child. In an interview with Fatherly, Josh described how his acting career occasionally interfered with his life as a father of four. "I was always into being a dad. But I was always worried about not working," Josh explained. "The day after Eden was born, I was on a plane for New York to do a pilot. It was horrible." Despite growing up knowing the downsides that acting can bring, Josh's daughter chose to pursue a career as an actor just like her parents.

"[Acting] was something that I had grown up around a little bit, but in pretty limited capacity. I think there was a curiosity; it was just sort of like a little fire that was stoked with just kind of slowly learning more," Eden explained of her decision to pursue acting (via CrypticRock). Although she's one of many gorgeous "Yellowstone" actors, Eden had plenty of previous acting roles from which fans would definitely recognize her. Just like "Yellowstone's" stunning Laramie, Brolin is known for both her on-screen talent and off-screen beauty.

For fans who wonder why Eden is one of the "Yellowstone" actors who look so familiar, search no further. The real life beauty is a multi-talented performer who has captured people's attention long before Mia from "Yellowstone" even existed.

Eden Brolin is more than just an actor frequently recognized for her role as Mia from "Yellowstone" — Brolin is an eclectic, creative artist who is also a singer and songwriter. When Brolin is not starring in hit television shows or independent movies, she can often be found on stage. Brolin became acquainted with making music many years before her first acting role; she began playing piano when she was only 7 years old. Just as comfortable in concert venues as she is on television sets, Brolin divides her time between acting and performing in the band Atta Boy.

The "Yellowstone" actor swapped her piano for a guitar and is now the lead singer and songwriter of the indie pop band. Whether she's working with a call sheet or a set list, Brolin performs confidently, but has stressed the major differences between acting and being a musician. "I think it's a vastly different creative process for me," Brolin told CrypticRock.

She enjoys the more collaborative aspect between an actor and a filmmaker or screenwriter. "It is listening to those ideas in a collaborative way, trying to make those ideas into something tangible, into something that translates for an audience," Brolin explained. Although Brolin regularly writes and plays music in Atta Boy, she admitted to having to push herself more with songwriting than with acting.

Eden Brolin made her first on-screen appearance in the short film "X" that was written and directed by her famous father in 2008. Four years later, Brolin had another small role in the movie "Ruby Sparks," but it was not until she was a young adult that Brolin's acting career really started to take off.

In 2015, Brolin starred in her first feature film, "I Dream Too Much," a comedic family drama in which she played Dora, an overwhelmed college graduate who becomes a caregiver for her great aunt and deals with the challenges her new rural life presents. During the independent film, Dora unearths secrets about her family and herself. Speaking about this lead role, Brolin revealed just how much it meant to her to work on her first feature film next to an actor she respects. "Making 'I Dream Too Much' helped fulfill my dream of working with and learning from a talent such as Diane Ladd," Brolin said (via I Dream Too Much).

In an interview with Independent Magazine, Brolin further explained how she embodied a character like Dora whose actions often hurt those around her, even if unintentionally. "Being able to ... understand that it is about good intentions was really interesting for me. It's given me a different perspective." Brolin clearly studies the characters she portrays in order to understand them and ultimately make her performance better.

Before she was Mia in "Yellowstone," Eden Brolin was one of Charles Manson's followers in the Lifetime Television movie "Manson's Lost Girls" that aired in 2016. The dark film follows the true horror story of Charles Manson and the women in his infamous cult, including their burglaries and eventual murder spree. Brolin was not the only young star in the film who has a famous Hollywood actor as a father. Brolin starred in "Manson's Lost Girls" alongside Kelsey Grammer's daughter, Greer Grammer, who underwent a stunning transformation to play one of Manson's followers.

The "Yellowstone" star read "Helter Skelter," a book about the Manson murders, to help get into the mindset of her character, despite finding the process eerie. "We were really lucky to be able to get on the set with as much research as all of us had done beforehand," Brolin said in an interview (via TV Megasite). "We really all passed around so much information, and every day everybody had something new to say, and we passed a certain documentary around of Charles Manson." Brolin also watched multiple interviews to help her truly embody her character, Susan Atkins.

The same year that Eden Brolin portrayed a cult follower, she also starred as Lucy in the movie "Emerald City," which "Yellowstone" fans might recognize her from. "Emerald City" may conjure up images of the fantasy land of Oz, but the film is actually set in modern day New York City. However, the cast of characters is just as colorful as Oz. "Emerald City" delves into the lives of Irish construction workers who helped build New York City and the struggles they each face. The movie incorporates elements of humor, an aspect that was still fairly new for Brolin at the time as she had yet to star in any comedies.

While "Emerald City" didn't require quite as much research as Brolin's previous role in "Manson's Girls," her performance as Lucy felt just as authentic as her past acting roles. Colin Broderick, who was born in Northern Ireland, wrote and directed the Irish-New York drama that showcased Brolin's dramatic acting talent. 

Despite being set in New York City, the film reached audiences overseas; "Emerald City" was accepted into The London Irish Film Festival and shortlisted for Best Feature that year. Brolin began to receive international recognition, and soon went on to capture the audience's attention on a popular three-season television show.

The year 2016 was a busy one, professionally, for "Yellowstone" actor Eden Brolin. She was used to working on smaller, independent films when she first started out in Hollywood, but soon got the opportunity to act in a television show that became well known. 

She guest starred as Dana Albright in Season 1 of the network television show, "Code Black," on CBS, which launched her into the national spotlight. Although Brolin was only in one episode of the medical drama, guest starring on a popular network television show exposed Brolin to a much wider audience. The young actor continued to gain recognition after her episode on the show and took on roles that catapulted her further into fame.

When it comes to nepotism in the movie and television industry, Brolin acknowledged the influence of her famous parents and grandparents. However, the actor explained that she did not choose to change her name when she began auditioning for acting roles because she is proud of her family legacy. "I've been shown that names can sometimes get you in the door, but it's not necessarily going to get you the job," she told Reel Talker. Her family name may have gotten her in the door, but it was her own acting skills that secured Brolin her role in "Code Black" and future projects.

Fans who recognize Mia from "Yellowstone" likely know her from the television series "Beyond." Eden Brolin's character, Charlie, wakes up from a coma with new superhuman abilities in Season 1 of the supernatural show. Brolin's portrayal of Charlie captivated audiences, and she quickly became a series regular.

Brolin returned as Charlie for the Freeform show's second season, much to the thrill of fans and network executives alike. "As soon as Eden appeared on 'Beyond,' we knew she was something special," Karey Burke, the executive vice president of programming and development, told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're thrilled that viewers will get to learn more about Charlie in Season 2," Burke said ahead of the show's Season 2 premiere.

Brolin and her co-stars attended the Freeform Summit in 2018 where they opened up about the second season of "Beyond." Brolin's enthusiasm for her character was evident; she was just as interested in her character's development as viewers were. "I'm excited to find out, like, whose side Charlie is on," Brolin said in an interview at the summit (via Red Carpet Report). The actor's interest in understanding the inner life of not only Charlie, but of all the characters she plays, shines through in her memorable performances. 

Before she became known to fans as Mia from "Yellowstone" in 2020, Eden Brolin had a busy previous year working on multiple productions. Brolin starred in the horror film "Blood Bound" in which she played a troubled teenager, Kerry. Despite the movie's dark premise involving multiple murders, Brolin enjoyed making and watching the final product. "It was definitely one of the more memorable projects I've ever worked on in a good way," the "Blood Bound" star told Digital Journal. "It's a crazy movie, but a fun one to watch for sure and quite unique, like a really detailed fever dream."

Also in 2019, Brolin had a small role in the movie "Back Fork" that was set in Appalachia. However, her work soon took her back to the west coast for a role that gained her even more recognition in real life. Brolin was in "Tyger Tyger," a dystopian film set during a fictional health pandemic that was released a year before the actual COVID-19 pandemic. The "Yellowstone" actor co-starred in the movie alongside Dylan Sprouse, who has come a long way in his acting career since being part of the "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" cast. "Tyger Tyger" was Brolin's first major role, acting alongside Sprouse in a movie that blurred genres. 

Brolin acknowledged that while the experimental thriller also had aspects of fantasy and drama, the movie itself is difficult to describe. However, Brolin believed that the lack of genre distinction in "Tyger Tyger" is beneficial. "I do think because of how abstracted it is it gives the viewers an opportunity to really dig in and make what they will of it," Brolin told CrypticRock.

Dylan Sprouse was not the only famous young actor with whom Eden Brolin worked. "Yellowstone" fans may also recognize Brolin from the movie "Arkansas" that featured Liam Hemsworth, "The Hunger Games" actor and ex-husband of Miley Cyrus.

"Arkansas" is based on a novel by the same name about the drug scene in the state of Arkansas, run by Vince Vaughn's character, Frog. Not only did Brolin get to show the full range of her acting skills as a nurse in the film, but she was able to work alongside well-known actors to boost her recognition.

One year after "Arkansas" came out, in 2021, Brolin was in the movie "The Cleaner" , a relationship-focused thriller about a housekeeper and a violent crime that Brolin described as a slice of everyday life with a twist. While it was not a major blockbuster movie with action-packed shots and a giant budget, Brolin enjoyed working on the thriller because she appreciated the nuances of the characters and the film itself. "When you put those types of [interesting] characters all together ... you're going to inevitably get something interesting," Brolin told Reel Talker.

Eden Brolin seems to thrive in movies, particularly thrillers, that have a complex cast of characters. In 2022, the year her role as Mia in "Yellowstone" ended, Brolin starred in another horror thriller called "Candy Land."

Similar to "Yellowstone" in that it was filmed in Montana, "Candy Land" tells the story of a group of sex workers at a truck stop who find themselves caught up in a string of murders. Brolin gave a memorable performance as one of the women who works at the truck stop, Riley. In the film, Riley becomes friends with a girl who was recently forced to leave her religious cult and instead joins the group of women. While the film is not set in a beautiful, natural setting like "Yellowstone," the friendship depicted in the movie adds a layer of incredible beauty and hope to the film.

Like "Candy Land," many of the acting roles Brolin took both before and after "Yellowstone" explore human relationships in a sometimes uncomfortable or gruesome way. Brolin has shown in her previous work that she is comfortable playing complicated characters when it comes to both television and film. The actor does not shy away from gritty roles with dark themes and often darker humor. While some actors may become typecast, the acting roles that Brolin takes showcase a range of personality types with confidence.

By 2023, Eden Brolin had been acting for almost a decade and showed no signs of slowing down, even after she no longer played the role of Mia in "Yellowstone." While simultaneously working as a songwriter for her band, she continued her acting career and landed a part in the show "High Desert. "The Apple television series stars acclaimed actor Patricia Arquette as a former addict turned detective. Although Brolin was only in four episodes of the show, her performance left a lasting impression.

The same year that "Yellowstone" ended in 2024, Brolin also played a kidnapped reporter in the film "Long Gone Heroes" alongside actors Josh Hutcherson and Frank Grillo. Set on a battlefield, "Long Gone Heroes" was Brolin's first role in a war film. She harnessed her dramatic acting skills in the live-action thriller and delivered a memorable performance as the only leading female character in the movie. 

When it comes to the various acting roles that Brolin accepts, she has a unique, logical approach similar to how she looks at life overall. "I try to look at life and look at projects in a way of seeing how it can be made useful," Brolin explained to Reel Talker. The actor went on to say that she trusts that whatever projects come her way are meant to be. "I try and do my best at just taking the opportunities I get by the reins and doing the best job I can," Brolin explained.