‘Yellowstone’: Kylie Rogers Says Her Version Is Now ‘on the Road to Becoming Beth’
Q&A
Yellowstone is, this season, giving us more of a look into the Duttons’ past than it has before, with a significant amount of flashbacks showing younger versions of John (Josh Lucas), Beth (Kylie Rogers), and Rip (Kyle Red Silverstein).
When we last saw flashbacks, before the midseason break — the Paramount Network show returns in the summer — Beth and Rip’s relationship was, of course, complicated. Oh, and Rip had accidentally killed Rowdy (Kai Caster) and accepted the brand as a result.
Here, Rogers opens up about playing Beth in the flashbacks.
How much did you know about how much we’d be seeing you again after Season 3?
Kylie Rogers: It was quite a bit of a surprise how prominent the flashback storyline would be in Season 5, and it was super exciting to find out about because in the past seasons, it was Beth as a younger girl. Now I get to play her as older Beth and have that more hardened side of Beth to portray. It’s so fun and I was so excited.
How would you describe Beth as she is now at this point in the flashbacks where we left her in the first half of Season 5?
I would definitely say she’s on the road to becoming the older Beth as we see her now, a little more jaded, a little more cautious of people, a little more hardened, and kind of more badass. It’s really exciting to see this side of her, but she’s still scared and she’s still has this sort of innocent side to her, I think, even though we don’t really see it much anymore. She’s definitely on the road to becoming Beth though.
We see all of that when it comes to Beth and Rip’s relationship back then.
Yeah.
How does she feel about him at that point in the flashbacks? Does she even know? Is it too much for her?
The main thing about Beth, both young and the version we see now as an adult, is she’s very hurt and she is kind of scared, but she covers it up so much by her radiant confidence and her sort of harsh attitude, I guess. But I think as of now, she cares for Rip, but she is scared of those feelings.
One of the last things that we saw in the flashbacks before the break was what happened with Rowdy. The Beth that she is at that point in the flashbacks, what would her reaction be to finding out what Rip did?
I have thought about this so much and I honestly don’t know because I could see her going either way and I have no idea what’s gonna happen. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what her reaction is.
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Because you never know how Beth is gonna react to anything.
I know. You never know. She could either like it for some reason and feel like exhilarated by it or she could be freaked out.
Is there anything you can say about the rest of the season?
There’s not. I can say it’s exciting and it’s gonna be a great rest of the season and a great watch.
Do you know if we’ll be getting the same amount of flashbacks as we did in the first half?
I’m not sure about that, but there will be flashbacks to look forward to, 100 percent.
What are you hoping to explore with Beth going forward?
The main thing I’m wanting for Beth is to just really see her on the road of sort of healing. But I know that doesn’t come until much later until she’s an adult. So I guess for now I just wanna see her more so embracing herself, I guess, and seeing where that takes her, whatever that may be.
We know how Beth and Jamie’s relationship turns out but at the point in the flashback we left off, would your version of Beth be surprised that the adult versions are planning to have each other killed?
I feel like maybe outwardly, but on the inside, maybe it’s a thought she’s had perhaps.
Ever since that clinic you could not blame her…
Yeah, you really can’t.
What would young Beth think of how she turns out as an adult, who she is and what she’s doing?
I think maybe it would be 50/50 of proud of herself because she is such a strong, independent sort of woman, but she would also be a little — just because of how jaded she is right now and how she’s been so hurt as a younger girl, as a young woman — weirded out maybe if she knew that she ends up marrying Rip and being in love.
But then also it’d be good for her to know there is this happiness coming for her.
Yeah. I think maybe with time she would accept it, but at the moment, she is rejecting that safe sort of happiness that Rip wants to give her as a younger version.
Is there anything from Kelly Reilly’s portrayal of Beth that you keep in mind while playing her?
Oh, for sure. When I was first Beth and portraying a more younger girl Beth, I kept in mind that I wasn’t trying to be Beth, I was being a younger version of her and a more innocent version of her before she’s so hurt and betrayed. But as she gets older and now I’m portraying her as a woman, I think I’m definitely keeping in mind how much the trauma affects her going into adulthood. It’s not something easily let go of. It’s definitely something I have to remember when I’m playing her.
What can you share about any conversations you’ve had with Kelly about Beth?
Kelly’s great. She’s like the coolest person ever. I love her. We always get together and have little chats about Beth when I come on for a new season. Kelly cares so much about me making young Beth my own and she doesn’t want to implement her version of Beth because even though young Beth is 18 now and she is turning into a woman and she is being sort of Beth as we see her now, she still does have that side of her that is still younger. That’s mainly what Kelly and I speak about.
What’s been your favorite scene to film, whether it’s the season or a past season?
Season 5 has probably been my favorite season to film for sure. I loved doing anything with Kyle and Kai and Josh, it’s always such a great time. It’s just so much of [playing] cowboys.
What’s been the most challenging scene to film?
I think the most challenging scene to film just in terms of the deepness of emotion, especially because I was probably 14 or 15 when I filmed it, was when Jamie takes me to the abortion clinic. It’s the last time I am able to confide in my older brother before he lies and betrays me. That scene has so many different levels to why Beth is hurt and scared and upset. And it’s also heartbreaking because that’s like the last time she feels like she can come to her brother for anything.
What’s the one thing your Beth would want for her adult self at this point in the flashbacks?
This is such a simple answer, but maybe just to be happy and to not run from things that could bring light to her life.
Yellowstone, Season 5 Returns, Summer 2023, Paramount Network
