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Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) may have met her match in Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening). TheDutton Ranch antagonist, while a clear opposing force against Beth and Rip (Cole Hauser) in theYellowstonespinoff, is a woman with a mind equal to Beth’s. This, Reilly tells TV Insider, is a welcome feature in the new series after theYellowstone TV universe has been so “male-oriented.”
In many ways, Bening’s Beulah feels like the John Dutton (Kevin Costner) of Texas. She runs a massive family-owned ranch that gives her serious influence in the state. When Beth and Beulah meet in Episode 1, coming out on Friday, May 15, it’s clear they’re not going to get along, but Reilly and Bening say that game recognizes game with these two.
“It’s such a great, wonderful idea [to have Beulah],” Reilly says. “In our universe, it was very male-oriented, and Beth was the only real powerhouse of a woman. Obviously, there were other really beautifully drawn characters.”
Reilly says it’s been fulfilling “to actually have Beth meet another woman that could be potentially an equal mentally, emotionally.” She had Monica (Kelsey Asbille) inYellowstone, as well as some other female foes, but Beulah is the first woman since Beth to be like Beth. Others have tried to match Beth’s energy, but Beulah is the first to succeed.
“It’s this unapologetic audacity and [being] in touch with her own violence and fierceness underneath this absolute utter heartbreak of pain and betrayal and sadness,” Reilly describes of Beth, the spitfire, adding, “The fact that I get to have Beth meet another woman that she can relate to and see herself in and almost have a bit of a crush on, like I do Annette, I did get to meet somebody that it was like going up a gear.”
“I felt like I was able to bring even more of Beth that I didn’t know about with Beulah,” Reilly shares, “because I’ve never seen Beth with another woman before.”
Bening says, “They admire [each other] and are competitive and are jealous and in some ways become co-conspirators as the show goes on.”
“Just all those layers that Annette just described to Beulah, I feel the same way about Beth,” Reilly adds in their joint interview.
Bening teases Beulah and Beth’s first meeting, sharing how she had a similar experience watching Reilly on Yellowstone.
“Beulah, when she sees this woman walk in, she’s just completely knocked out. That, for me, was not hard to play, because I’m knocked out by Kelly,” says Bening. “When I watched the show Yellowstone, I got into it, like so many people did, because of the stakes that all of the actors were playing at. The writing was so strong.”
“It takes those kinds of actors, like Wes Bentley, who I got to do a film with years ago, and watching him and Kevin Costner and all of them — that’s a great inspiration to come into this show wanting to give people that experience,” Bening goes on. “And I love watching shows. I’m a big audience consumer of theater, film, TV. I know what it feels like to get sucked in and how strong the narrative can be. I tried to do my part to make it as strong as I could.”
In Dutton Ranch, a tragic event prompts Beth and Rip to move from Montana to Texas with their adopted son, Carter (Finn Little), to start a new life. As Beth and Rip fight to build a future together — far from the ghosts of Yellowstone — they collide with brutal new realities and a ruthless rivalranchthat will stop at nothing to protect its empire. In South Texas, blood runs deeper, forgiveness is fleeting, and the cost of survival might just be your soul.
Dutton Ranch, Series Premiere Friday, May 15, 8/7c, Paramount Network, Streaming on Paramount+
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