‘Yellowstone’ star Kelly Reilly on how Beth Dutton ‘changed’ her

Kelly Reilly is forever changed after playing Beth Dutton in Yellowstone.

The 47-year-old actress paid a touching tribute to her character ahead of the series finale airing on Sunday, December 15 – but remained cautious as her followers began to guess how the popular cowboy show would end.

Warning: spoilers below!

On her Instagram, Reilly wrote: “I’m so deep in another role in the UK at the moment, in another country worth fighting for… but across the pond the show’s finale is tonight. “Whatever the future holds, this is the end of the show we’ve been making for the last seven years.”

She continued: “Words cannot express how I feel about the people I have had the opportunity to work with and create over the seasons. I made real friends for life. The support of the crew and the trust and commitment of the cast. The words I was allowed to say and the woman I was allowed to inhabit. It changed me. It enlightened me. It challenged me in every way and I will forever be grateful for it.”

Reilly also praised “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, thanking him for “taking a risk” on her.

“(He) continued to write (Beth) in a way that made me feel like I was on fire as an actor. Thanks Taylor. Thank you to the audience we made it for and who accompanied us on this journey. It was really important to us to do something special for you all… Enjoy tonight, get your tissues and your 🥃✌️,” the actress concluded.

Fans flooded her comments section with theories about how “Yellowstone” would end, and while Reilly commented, she focused on her character’s development.

“She has definitely changed. In the early seasons (the farm) was a place with too many bad memories. The place haunted her,” she recalls. “She was loyal to her father because she loved him so much, but she also felt great responsibility and guilt over the death of her mother, his wife.”

Reilly shared, “It almost became her purpose in life to make it up to him, to do this for him. She became his most loyal soldier. As the seasons progressed, she was seen falling in love with it again and again. She did it for him. For the country. And for a part of her soul.”

“Yellowstone” viewers were divided over the bombshell death in the finale, in which Beth, with the help of her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), killed her brother Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) for the murder of their father John Dutton (Kevin Costner).

Jamie’s girlfriend Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) hired a hitman to take out John in the season five opener after Coster left the show in June.

While many “Yellowstone” spinoffs are in the works, there have been rumors of a possible one that would focus on Beth and Rip following the sale of the Dutton family ranch, which media outlets claim is officially in the works.

On Sunday, Reilly responded “true” when a fan asked if the spinoff speculation was true.

“I loved this season. There were some really different areas to explore, so I don’t get hung up on them,” Reilly told Town and Country in November about potentially reprising her role as Beth. “I’m happy to put her back in her padlocked box.”

However, she did not rule out a return.

“I’m definitely interested in Beth and who she is after some things happened,” she shared. “Who is she in peace? As an actor, you think, “Ooh, let me say this.” Wouldn’t it be fun to watch Beth in therapy?”

“Yellowstone” premiered in 2018. It took seven years to film and ran for five seasons, with season 5 split into two parts.

The series is currently streaming on Paramount+.