What Kelly Reilly's Yellowstone Universe Co-Stars Have Really Said About Her

Kelly Reilly has been acting professionally since the mid-'90s. The English screen star is known for her work in projects like "Pride & Prejudice," "Sherlock Holmes," and "Eden Lake," but her turn as Beth Dutton in the wildly popular Taylor Sheridan modern Westerns "Yellowstone" and its spin-off "Dutton Ranch" has introduced her to American audiences in an entirely new way. Reilly now has loads of new fans, and she's completely become Beth Dutton to them. And Reilly is a fan of Beth herself. In a 2024 interview for "CBS Mornings," Reilly said, "There's so much to her. She's not just one thing. She's like 10 women in one ... We know her as insane and fierce, but there is such a deep soul and incredible depth of heart and love and devotion for her family. I love her." She added, "I can be infuriated with her, but I love her."

Reilly's co-stars love Beth Dutton, too, but they seem to love the actor even more. Between "Yellowstone" and "Dutton Ranch," Reilly has gathered a cohort of co-stars who deeply admire her as a professional actor. But what do they think of her when the camera stops rolling? Keep reading to find out what Kelly Reilly's "Yellowstone" universe co-stars have really said about her.

Luke Grimes is part of the "Yellowstone" universe by way of the original show. In "Yellowstone," he played Kayce Dutton, son of John Dutton, famously played by Kevin Costner, and brother of Beth Dutton, of course played by Kelly Reilly. Since "Yellowstone" ended, Grimes has reprised his character in another show set in the TV universe, "Marshals," which follows Kayce off the Yellowstone ranch as part of a team of U.S. Marshals. Reilly, meanwhile, has been reprising her role on "Dutton Ranch," and Grimes believes that the characters will cross paths on screen again via their respective spin-offs. "It's not out of the question that we might have some sort of crossover at some point," Grimes told TV Insider in 2026. "[Kelly and I have] texted about it back and forth a lot, talked about how it'd be fun and necessary for our story arcs, however they're going to end," he noted.

Reilly seems to be game for a crossover. "I would love that to happen," she said to the outlet. "We were all very close ... We were a family, and we miss them very much. So the more we can get back in, that's what we're fighting for, Cole and I. Where we get our wishes, we would love to have as many back in our world," she said.

While Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly's characters clash on "Yellowstone," the actors' real-life relationship is another story. The stars play feuding siblings who have plenty of intense scenes opposite one another. But in reality, the two are very close, which is what allows them to make their on-screen tension so believable. In a 2024 interview for "CBS Mornings," Bentley shared more about their off-screen bond and working relationship. "She's been the longest scene partner of my life. From the minute we met, we got along, and we were not like either of our characters at all, so we had to help each other go as far as we could. You do that with trust, and we trust each other, and we love each other. It gets more intense every year, and we have to build that trust even further so we can give the audience what they want," the actor said of his former co-star.

Bentley has never given Reilly anything but praise. In an interview with CinemaBlend, which was given about two years prior to the aforementioned interview, Bentley lauded Reilly and noted that she's nothing like her "Yellowstone" universe character. "She is one of the sweetest people and sweetest actors. She has to go so far to get to Beth. She does an amazing job. It's great to watch her," Bentley said.

One of the most iconic and beloved couples in the "Yellowstone" universe is Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. Beth, of course, is portrayed by Kelly Reilly, while Rip is played by Cole Hauser. The duo first started working together on "Yellowstone," and it was on that show that they grew to be close friends. On a 2025 episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," Hauser said, "Kelly and I are just, at this point, great friends ... Her ability as an actress is phenomenal, but she's just so much different than the actual character. In between takes, her [sic] and I are like brother and sister. We joke, we have fun, and this last year was really fun."

Reilly and Hauser continued their working relationship with the spin-off series "Dutton Ranch," in which they both reprise their "Yellowstone" characters. And although Reilly had doubts about becoming Beth Dutton again for "Dutton Ranch," she fell back into the role easily thanks to her connection with Hauser. "You're really lucky if you get chemistry with someone ... Cole and I, we have it, and it's a gift that we have it naturally," she said in a 2026 interview with BAFTA. "On screen, we really love our characters, and Beth and Rip have their own chemistry," she added. Hauser was part of the interview, too, and he noted that he and Reilly were able to act as if no time had passed despite not acting with each other for months in between the end of "Yellowstone" and the beginning of "Dutton Ranch."

Finn Little has grown up on camera, starting as a child actor and transforming into an adult as Carter Dutton on "Yellowstone." Through his work as her adoptive on-screen son, Little has formed a close bond with Kelly Reilly, starting with "Yellowstone" and carrying over into the spin-off series "Dutton Ranch," which goes even deeper into Carter's relationship with Beth Dutton. In an August 2026 Facebook post, Little gave a shoutout to his on-screen mother, as well as his on-screen father, Cole Hauser, for their guidance through the two series. "Wanted to finally take a breath and thank you both Kelly and Cole. Thank you for welcoming me, teaching me and loving me over the last 6 years! I love sharing the screen and this part of my life with you both. We will ALWAYS be a little 'family.' We did it!," Little said.

Reilly has just as much admiration for Little as Little does for her. In a 2026 interview with Echo, Reilly spoke about feeling protective over Little, and she noted how excited she was that he had some of his own storylines in "Dutton Ranch." "He was a little boy when we started, and he has always broken my heart. He's got those huge, big blue eyes, and he is so deeply feeling and sensitive," she said of Little. "He's so delicate and sensitive and artistic and funny ... He's very caring. But I'm so glad he's back," she said.

The stunning Annette Bening is a Hollywood icon. A five-time Oscar nominee known for acclaimed films like "American Beauty" and "The Kids Are All Right," it was major get when Bening joined the "Yellowstone" universe for the spin-off series "Dutton Ranch" alongside Kelly Reilly. Bening plays Beulah Jackson, a powerful Texas rancher who's just as fierce as Beth Dutton. The two characters are often at odds, but in real life, they are huge fans of one another. "She's a powerhouse. I mean, one of the most beautiful actresses ... Both of us feel very blessed to get to work with her," Reilly said of Bening in an interview with USA Today Entertainment. "She's so inventive, and Beulah is so sensual. She's constantly just flirting with everybody. Her interpretation of this character kind of off-set me as Beth ... It's not what I expected, and it's so much fun," she added.

While chatting with ET at the "Dutton Ranch" premiere in 2026, Bening noted that she was excited to step into the "Yellowstone" universe for a couple of reasons, including the chance to work with Reilly. "I was a big fan of 'Yellowstone' and of Kelly Reilly, who I worship as an actress. And now I know her as a person and she's amazing. I was very lucky, and it's a lot of fun," Bening said.

The stunning Natalie Alyn Lind joined the "Yellowstone" universe by way of "Dutton Ranch," too. Lind plays Oreana Lynn Jackson on the modern Western. As the granddaughter of Annette Bening's character and the romantic interest of Kelly Reilly's character's son, Lind has gotten to go opposite some incredible female actors in her time on the show. And the experience is not lost on Lind. "Those two women, I'm so lucky to be able to feel like I'm in an ensemble cast of such powerful women and to be standing next to them ... I grew up watching both of them. I loved 'Yellowstone' since the very beginning, so obviously there's an intimidation going into this project, because I am such fans of theirs, and I just really admire their work," Jackson told USA Today in 2026 of working alongside Reilly and Bening, noting that their kindness made any intimidation she felt disappear.

As noted, Lind was a fan of "Yellowstone" before joining its TV universe, and she did take some inspiration from Reilly's portrayal of Beth when creating Oreana. In an interview with Allegedly Speaking, Lind said, "Kelly Reilly in general is an inspiration. She's made this character that's so iconic worldwide, so obviously I look up to her, and I think that she's incredible. But I did want to make sure that our characters did feel different. I don't want to do a carbon copy," Lind said.

Marc Menchaca has been a working actor since the early 2000s, and he's plenty familiar with dramatic roles. Before he entered the "Yellowstone" universe via "Dutton Ranch," he was best known for his work on series like "Ozark" and "Homeland," both of which rival the theatrics that play out in Taylor Sheridan's TV universe. Menchaca plays Zachariah Moss on "Dutton Ranch," and he was thrilled to get the chance to work with his longtime friend Kelly Reilly. "I love Kelly. She was such a champion for me on the show ... Kelly and I met probably 17 or 18 years ago. We have been particularly close in the past, and she's always been a very, very dear person to me. I've never forgotten how kind and gracious she was. I've always wanted to work with her," Menchaca said in a 2026 interview with Decider.

Although Menchaca hadn't seen all of "Yellowstone" ahead of signing on to "Dutton Ranch," he was familiar enough with the show and its actors and creators to know that he was taking on a high-quality project. "I very much respect Cole and Kelly's work in ['Yellowstone'], and I've seen a lot of what they have done. I feel like with John Papsidera, the casting director, I feel like I was always like, 'Man, Papsidera calls me in for everything but "Yellowstone."' It was very exciting to get a job in this world," Menchaca said in a 2026 interview with People.

Brecken Merrill, who strated on "Yellowstone" when he was still in grade school, hasn't yet racked up as many professional credits as some of his famous co-stars, but he's gotten great experience by watching some masters of the craft up close. After appearing in every episode of "Yellowstone," Merrill got to see experts like Kevin Costner and Luke Grimes up close. He also got to work with, albeit seldom, the fantastic Kelly Reilly as he played her on-screen nephew in the modern Western. Despite sharing little screen time, Merrill is still a fan of Reilly. "There are barely any times that I can spend with them. We're in two different storylines, so I don't see them a lot. All I know is, [Reilly] is a very, very nice woman. She has a British accent, which is very, very surprising to me. Her American accent is very, very good. And she's basically the opposite of Beth. She's nice and proper, and just happy all along," Merrill said on an episode of the "Dutton Rules" podcast.

Merrill has continued playing his character, Tate Dutton, on the "Yellowstone" spin-off series "Marshals," but ahead of that reprisal, Merrill did say goodbye to Tate and everyone who helped make "Yellowstone." "Goodbye, Tate. It was an honor and a privilege to grow up with you. I'm forever grateful to Taylor [Sheridan] and my whole Yellowstone family. You guys are all magic makers, and I'm proud to know you," he said on Instagram (via Good Morning America).

Jefferson White was a mainstay on "Yellowstone," bringing the character Jimmy Hurdstrom to life for the show's entire run. Although White and Kelly Reilly were both on every episode of "Yellowstone," their characters' storylines didn't intersect much, so they didn't share the screen too often. In a 2022 interview for Us Weekly, White shared why he thought that was actually a good thing. "We never really see each other on set. Jimmy and Beth never really cross paths, which is great for Jimmy. Anybody who crosses paths with Beth, you're in trouble," he said. "It's actually very lucky for Jimmy that he's never crossed paths with Beth, because I think he would go out of a plate glass window, you know?" White also remarked on what it's like watching Reilly become the character of Beth. "Kelly Reilly, she's the nicest person in the world, but when she's on set, it's her job to inhabit Beth. It's her job to create that energy, so I stay far away," he added, alluding to Reilly's powerful command over the feisty character she's become famous for.

White may not be crossing on-screen paths with Reilly any time soon, but he is set to return to the "Yellowstone" universe. The actor will be reprising his "Yellowstone" role for the second season of "Marshals." "I'm thrilled to dive into the world of 'Marshals' and continue exploring the American West. The cast and crew are stacked full of my favorite actors and filmmakers, and I'm honored to join them," White said in a statement, per People.

On "Yellowstone," Kelly Reilly speaks with a quite convincing American accent, but the talented actor was born and raised in Surrey, England. Any viewer who had no idea that Reilly is British shouldn't feel too bad, though, because the truth about the actor who plays Beth Dutton is she even had some of her co-stars fooled. On a 2024 episode of "The Glenn Beck Podcast," Reilly's "Yellowstone" co-star Forrie J. Smith, who played Lloyd Pierce on the hit show, Beck said he had no idea that Reilly was British, and Smith said the same. "I didn't know, either, the first couple of weeks," Smith said.

Like most other co-stars of Reilly's in the "Yellowstone" television universe, Smith echoed that Reilly couldn't be more different from Beth. "Great lady in real life ... She is just a sweetheart in real life," he said, adding that when fans go so far as to refer to a relative as the Beth of their family, he sees that as a red flag.