Yellowstone's Beth Dutton Is Unrecognizable Without Makeup
It's hard to think of very many television performances in recent memory that are more captivating than that of Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton on the popular drama series "Yellowstone." Whether she was turning heads with her bold looks or verbally outclassing everyone around her, Beth established herself as a true force to be reckoned with over the course of the show's six years on the air. Not only that, but Reilly herself is seriously stunning in real life — even if she looks and sounds quite a bit different from her on-screen counterpart. In fact, without Beth's signature makeup, Reilly looks borderline unrecognizable from the heiress to the Dutton Ranch.
One of the defining aspects of Beth's look is her smoky eyes, which add to her signature intimidation factor. So, fans of "Yellowstone" were likely caught a bit off guard when Reilly posted the above selfie to her since-deleted Instagram page in October 2019, as production on the show's third season was winding down. The photo shows Reilly sitting in a car without Beth's iconic eye makeup, or seemingly any makeup at all, except a possible light layer of mascara. However, Reilly is a knockout all on her own. As noted by Glam, commenters definitely took notice. "You have to be as beautiful as your eyes," one Instagram user wrote.
To that end, while many "Yellowstone" fans acknowledge that the makeup undeniably plays a big role in creating the image of Beth we know and love, they're sure to give Reilly her flowers as well. As one user in a "Yellowstone" Facebook fan group wrote, "Her beauty isn't in the lights or the makeup, but in the way her eyes can change the mood of a scene, and her deep, piercing voice cuts through dialogue."
Kelly Reilly spent a lot of time in the makeup chair during her time on Yellowstone
Of course, Kelly Reilly isn't the only lady from "Yellowstone" who looks completely different without makeup. However, Reilly certainly spent a lot of time in the makeup chair during her time on the show. That said, it wasn't always to get all dolled up (or whatever you'd call Beth Dutton's version of that). Beth miraculously survives an explosion in the "Yellowstone" Season 3 finale and a physical attack in Season 2, and those events leave her with scars and burns that remain throughout many episodes. As such, Reilly spent a lot of time getting special effects makeup applied in addition to undergoing Beth's beauty regimen.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette posted to the Yellowstone Universe YouTube channel in 2021, special effects makeup artist Abigail Steele peeled back the curtain on what exactly went into turning Reilly into the stunning and battle-damaged Beth. "So this is the scar that was under Beth's eye from Season 3," Steele said, adding, "And it had to be slight enough that even with the nuance of her expression, that it would move with her face like a real scar would. And it was one of my favorite pieces because she wore it through the whole season." Steele added that they had multiple scar pieces for Reilly to wear to show it changing shape and shrinking over time.
The makeup artist went on to explain that she worked closely with Reilly while developing how Beth would be visually represented on screen in light of everything that she'd been through. "And then we both were like, 'You know what? We should tell people about your scars and how they tell a story that's bigger than just something that's cool and looks cool in a makeup way.' It is so much deeper," Steele said.