Kelly Reilly is a powerhouse on stage, in movies, and on TV. She began her acting career in theater as a teenager in England before moving to Los Angeles in her 20s to chase her Hollywood dreams, according to Parade.
Over time, she landed roles in blockbuster movies and TV shows, working alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Kevin Costner in Yellowstone. Reflecting on her experience with Costner, she told Looper, “I admire his stillness as an actor. It’s things like that that he teaches me inadvertently.”
Reilly has also found success in her personal life. Though she keeps her private life out of the spotlight, Parade notes that she married Kyle Baugher, a non-actor, in 2012 and divides her time between England and the U.S.
From a shy aspiring actress in England to a globally sought-after talent, here’s the stunning transformation of English actress Kelly Reilly.
#1. Kelly Reilly discovered drama as a teen, and it changed her world
Kelly Reilly discovered her passion for acting as a teenager, thanks to her drama teacher at Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form in Kingston, England.
“He put me in his wife’s drama group — and suddenly I was reading Chekhov and Shakespeare. My world suddenly became much more exciting,” Reilly told the Evening Standard.
In the same interview, Reilly, who grew up in Surrey, described herself as shy and uninterested in schoolwork, admitting, “I wasn’t very academic.”
Acting opened up a new world for her, despite growing up with non-actor parents. Her father was a police officer for over two decades, and her mother worked as a hospital receptionist, as Reilly shared with The Guardian and Express.
#2. Kelly Reilly thought she’d grow up caring for horses
Before Kelly Reilly discovered her passion for acting, she was deeply involved with horses and envisioned a future in equestrian work. As she shared with the Evening Standard, she spent most days after school riding and caring for horses at a stable.
“I couldn’t afford a horse, but I kind of adopted one and spent a lot of time with him. It was an obsession — and if I hadn’t discovered acting, I wouldn’t be here talking to you,” Reilly said.
In an interview with a Texas ABC affiliate, Reilly elaborated on her horse-riding days, noting that she worked as a groom at a polo club and regularly exercised the horses, likely in preparation for competitions.
Though Reilly doesn’t do much riding on her show Yellowstone on the Paramount Network, she makes the most of her downtime while filming in Montana by going horseback riding. “It’s always been where I get my head screwed back on — just being in nature and being on horses,” she told Parade.
#3. She pursued theater and TV work early on
When Kelly Reilly fell in love with acting and theater, she knew she had to pursue it. At 16, she left home and secured several theater roles before making her TV debut as Polly Henry on Prime Suspect, a ’90s British TV series starring veteran actress Helen Mirren (according to DuJour).
Reilly appeared as Polly in both Prime Suspect: Inner Circles and Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness, as noted on IMDb.
Years later, in 2009, Reilly starred as Anna Travis in Above Suspicion, another crime thriller TV series created by Prime Suspect creator Lynda La Plante, as reported by the Daily Mail.
While auditioning, Reilly worked as a waitress and mentioned that her father, a retired police officer, was thrilled to see her playing a detective. He even visited the set to support her role as a detective constable.
“The chance to see me playing not only someone decent but somebody in the same profession as he was in delights him,” Reilly said.
#4. She received encouraging advice from veteran actress Helen Mirren
English actress Kelly Reilly received invaluable advice from a veteran actress when she made her TV debut at 17. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Reilly admitted that she couldn’t sleep the night before shooting began for Helen Mirren’s ’90s series Prime Suspect. It was 1995, and Reilly had no prior TV set experience.
She described her first day on set as chaotic, saying she was being “dragged here, there, and everywhere, being told ‘Just say your lines,’ without having a clue about technique, where the camera was, or even the set lingo.”
Reilly credited Mirren with helping her navigate this challenging start. “She was incredibly supportive, with a great sense of humor,” Reilly said. When she asked Mirren whether she should attend drama school, Mirren advised against it.
“Helen reckons that to be an actor you have to experience life, rather than disappear inside a drama school for three years,” Reilly explained. Taking this advice to heart, she continued acting and later moved to L.A. in her 20s to further pursue her career, as noted in an interview with Parade.
#5. Kelly Reilly received a prestigious Laurence Olivier Theatre Award
At 26, Kelly Reilly received a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award nomination in 2004, becoming the youngest actor to achieve this honor, according to Broadway World. The Olivier Awards are described by the Official London Theatre as “Britain’s most prestigious stage honors.”
Reilly earned this nomination for her role in After Miss Julie, a Michael Grandage production at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End in 2003.
Before the play opened, she expressed her excitement about the opportunity in an interview with The Independent. “It’s amazing,” she said.
“There are so few roles like this for women my age. It’s a fantastic playground to be in. I’m aware every day of what an amazing opportunity this is for me.” This nomination undoubtedly opened doors for Reilly and played a significant role in establishing her in the film industry.
#6. She had many TV and movie parts before her breakout role in Yellowstone
In 2005, Kelly Reilly played Caroline Bingley in the Keira Knightley period film Pride & Prejudice, based on the Jane Austen novel, according to IMDb.
She continued to make waves in 2008 with her role alongside Michael Fassbender in the thriller Eden Lake. Reilly also appeared on-screen with stars like Denzel Washington in Flight and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the Sherlock Holmes franchise.
These roles eventually led her to portray Beth Dutton in Yellowstone, a drama about a ranching family in Montana that premiered in 2018, co-starring Kevin Costner. In an interview with Elle, Reilly admitted she had never played a character like Beth before but was eager to take on the challenge.
“It was just something [about her that was] so powerful and broken and human. Every single line of hers in that first pilot I read, I couldn’t believe what I was reading,” she told the magazine.
#7. Kelly Reilly was briefly engaged to a fellow actor
Kelly Reilly once found love with fellow actor Jonah Lotan, known for his role in the Iraq War drama Generation Kill. The couple got engaged in 2007 but broke up two years later.
The notoriously private Yellowstone star has kept details about the relationship under wraps, telling The Independent in 2009, “I’d … rather not talk about it. Only because I’m trying to protect myself and my life. … It’s a bit complicated.”
When asked if their busy careers made it difficult to spend time together, Reilly confirmed that was indeed part of the issue. The Scotsman noted that Reilly had traveled to Namibia with Lotan while he was filming Generation Kill, but the couple ultimately struggled to make it work.
As Reilly explained, part of the appeal for English actors working on U.S. TV series is the stability they offer. “They know they’re working for ten months of the year, then come home for two, and they have family with them, and it’s the closest thing to a regular job,” she said.
#8. Kelly Reilly was nominated for a British Independent Film Award
Kelly Reilly’s breakout role in the British horror film Eden Lake garnered significant attention, especially from horror enthusiasts.
Her compelling portrayal of a woman battling local criminals earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the British Independent Film Awards in 2008, according to their site. While she ultimately lost to Vera Farmiga for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Reilly’s performance clearly made a lasting impression.
On another front, Yellowstone received its first Screen Actors Guild nomination in 2022, after four seasons, as reported by Variety. Series co-creator Taylor Sheridan expressed his gratitude, stating, “There’s no bigger compliment to an actor than being recognized by their peers. Congratulations to our incredibly talented cast on this wonderful and well-deserved nomination.”
Despite this recognition, Reilly, along with co-stars Cole Hauser, Kevin Costner, and Gil Birmingham, was not individually acknowledged for their performances. However, it’s only a matter of time before their exceptional work is fully recognized.
#9. She was reluctant to do another horror movie after Eden Lake
While many people know Kelly Reilly primarily as Beth Dutton, horror fans remember her as Michael Fassbender’s ill-fated partner in Eden Lake.
The film, which marked a significant part of Reilly’s early career in the U.K., also made her more cautious about taking on darker roles in the future.
As Reilly explained in an interview with The Playlist, “It was an unexpectedly huge hit. Ever since then, I’ve been wary of them [horror movies]. They’re difficult to get right.”
The movie follows a couple who find themselves hunted by a group of bloodthirsty thugs in a remote location and is known for its shockingly ruthless ending.
In a conversation with Daily Dead, Reilly admitted that while she knew the ending would likely alienate some viewers, she appreciated its impact.
“I loved the ending. I loved that she didn’t get out because that made the horror feel all the more real. It was very disturbing. I really loved making that film,” she said.
#10. She got married in 2012
Kelly Reilly has portrayed many romances on screen, and she’s also living one out in real life. Though details about her relationship with financier Kyle Baugher are relatively scarce, they married in England in 2012 after meeting that same year, according to Parade.
In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, Reilly revealed that Baugher lived in New York at the time, and she split her time between New York and England. She added, “I’m not saying any more about him except that he’s not an actor, not in the business.”
In 2018, Reilly gave a rare glimpse into her personal life with an Instagram photo of Baugher and their dog, likely taken during a visit to Montana for Yellowstone. She captioned the post, “Out west again with my loves.”
#11. Kelly Reilly returned to the stage in 2015
Kelly Reilly began her acting career on stage and, after finding success in TV and film, returned to her theater roots after an eight-year break. In 2015, she starred alongside Clive Owen in Old Times at a New York theater, according to the Evening Standard.
Reilly explained to the outlet that she hadn’t done a play for nearly a decade because she found it challenging to balance a demanding personal life with stage work.
However, feeling happily settled in her marriage to financier Kyle Baugher, she decided it was the right moment to return to the stage and see if she could achieve that balance once again.
Following her theater return, Reilly took on several TV projects, including True Detective in 2015. In 2018, she landed her most prominent TV role yet as Beth Dutton in Paramount Network’s Yellowstone.
#12. She got used to traveling a lot for work
From filming Yellowstone to dividing her time between New York and her native England, Kelly Reilly is accustomed to a life of travel.
In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, before she took on the role of Beth Dutton, Reilly mentioned she spent “a lot of my time on aeroplanes” traveling between her home in England and New York, where her then-boyfriend (and now-husband) Kyle Baugher lived.
By 2018, Reilly told Parade that she primarily resides in New York but also spends time in England for various productions. Her Instagram feed reflects her frequent travels, showcasing her time in New York, London, and Montana, where she films Yellowstone.
Reilly shared with Parade that she has a deep affection for the western U.S., stating, “I love Montana, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. It’s somewhere that I’ve spent time when I’ve traveled, since I was a teenager actually.”
#13. She wasn’t sure she could handle Beth Dutton
Today, Kelly Reilly is closely associated with her role as Beth Dutton, but the British actress initially had doubts about her ability to fully embody such a complex and fiery character.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Reilly confessed, “It took me a while to really find her.” She likened the process to “stepping into a sports car,” explaining the challenge as going from “nought to 100 in three seconds.”
Reilly admitted that when she first met Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan, she was still uncertain about how to approach Beth. She revealed that she even had moments of panic, questioning whether the role was right for her due to Beth’s “tremendously complicated” nature.
Despite her initial uncertainties, Beth Dutton quickly became a fan favorite, thanks to Reilly’s dedicated performance. Reilly and Sheridan worked closely to develop the character, with Reilly keeping detailed notepads to help guide her portrayal throughout the process.
#14. She had some scary moments while filming Yellowstone
Kelly Reilly faced a nerve-wracking moment while filming the first season of Yellowstone. She revealed to People that, in one episode, her character had to run into a real wolf pack—no CGI involved.
Reilly was understandably anxious, questioning whether the wolves’ instincts might be triggered by her approaching with a bottle of whiskey. The crew reassured her, explaining that they had set up invisible cords to trip up the wolves if needed.
Reilly also experienced another frightening situation while in Montana for Yellowstone. In an interview with Parade, she recounted a harrowing drive she took on an off day. Guided by her GPS, she ended up on a perilous shortcut with sheer drops on either side.
After surviving the dangerous journey to Skalkaho Pass, she reflected, “When I got down and was in a bar, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I survived.’”
#15. Kelly Reilly is always on the lookout to play a new, challenging character
Kelly Reilly is known for her diverse range of roles and her desire to avoid repeating herself. Even with over two decades in the industry, she’s always seeking new challenges.
In an interview with Looper, Reilly explained that after her acclaimed performance as Beth Dutton on Yellowstone, she’s been inundated with scripts featuring similar strong, feisty characters. However, she’s not interested in playing another Beth-like role.
“Obviously, I play Beth and people like it. So, I’m inundated with very feisty, strong, violent-type women. I don’t want to play that again,” she shared.
Looking ahead, Reilly is eager to explore new territories in her acting career. “I never really know what that is until I read it,” she admitted. From her early days in England to her current status as a TV and movie star, Reilly’s career continues to evolve and captivate audiences.
#16. Playing the complete opposite of Beth Dutton appealed to her
While Kelly Reilly is undoubtedly thrilled to be part of the hugely popular Yellowstone, she acknowledges the challenge of being associated with one iconic role. Despite her impressive journey from theater to horror and now a leading role on television, she recognizes the importance of breaking away from typecasting.
When the opportunity arose to work with director Sean Ellis on the werewolf film Eight for Silver, Reilly eagerly embraced it. In an interview with Screen Rant, she explained, “As an actor, you really want to keep changing it up for yourself and dipping into different things to keep your own taste bud alive.
Playing someone so utterly different from this character that I had been so immersed in for a few years, I was just like, ‘Yes, I’m in!’” Reilly also emphasized her desire to collaborate with talented individuals who push her as a performer, helping her continue to grow and evolve in her craft.
#17. Staying out of the public eye comes easily to Kelly Reilly
Despite her considerable success, Kelly Reilly remains true to the down-to-earth persona she developed in the British theater scene. In a 2022 interview with Esquire, Reilly discussed how Yellowstone’s global success has affected her life. While being part of such a major project might seem overwhelming, Reilly’s life has remained relatively unchanged, by choice.
She explained, “In my life away from Yellowstone, I live between New York and the middle of the countryside in England. Even in New York, I’m out by the end of the island, by the sea. I’m cut off a lot from the world.” Reilly noted that she primarily feels the show’s impact only when she is on location in places like Texas or Montana, or when she travels out west for any reason.
Reflecting on the show’s impact, she shared, “We film it, then you forget about it for eight months, then it comes out and you’re hit with it.” Nevertheless, she expressed pride in being part of such a powerful project, acknowledging, “It’s a powerful thing to be part of. People have adopted it as their show. I’m really proud of it.”
