Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly can't talk about the show's future as Beth Dutton

Warning: Contains some Yellowstone plot spoofs

Cowboys, murderous revenge plans and family secrets have kept Yellowstone fans on the edge of their seats since 2018.

It is one of the most-watched shows in the United States and made creator Taylor Sheridan the king of prime-time television.

But last year Paramount announced that the fifth season, scheduled to end next month, would be the last.

Its star, Kelly Reilly, tells me that it will be “the end of the Yellowstone world we knew.”

“Does that mean I can’t play her anymore? Maybe, maybe not,” she says. “We don’t know yet is the honest answer.”

There have already been two Yellowstone spin-offs, and more are in the works. Reilly, who plays the troubled and volatile Beth Dutton, says she would “love” to continue playing her character, but any spinoff “would be a fresh start somewhere.”

However, it sounds like something may be in the works, as Reilly said she “can't talk about the future because there are so many conversations.”

The on-screen drama of “Yellowstone” was also reflected off-screen with the departure of its lead actor, Kevin Costner.

Based on what he says, he only filmed half of the fifth season Contract and scheduling questions.

Sheridan said This was due to Costner's desire to focus on his Horizon film series, which the star directs, co-writes, produces and stars in.

Either way, British-born Reilly will probably remain the star of the show.

The actress was born and raised in Chessington, Greater London, the daughter of a police officer and a hospital receptionist.

Far from the Hollywood Hills.

She previously starred in True Detective, Prime Suspect and Above Suspicion.

But Yellowstone introduced them to a huge international audience.

I ask what it feels like to be an in-demand leading actress.

“Well, I'm 47 years old, it didn't happen overnight, you know. So it’s not like I get whiplash,” she laughs.

“I have been working as an actor for 30 years. It’s not lost on me that there are a number of shows that are so successful worldwide and a character that has so much attention or appeal.”

“But I deal with it at a distance. I don't spend too much time thinking about it. I have a completely normal life. It is very important to me that my life is normal. Nothing has changed except that I am very busy.” .

“I don’t get to sleep at home often, which is annoying because I love my home!”

Most fans assume that Reilly herself is American and not the soft-spoken British woman she really is.

She tells me that when Yellowstone started, she “didn't do any press” because she wanted people to believe in her character.

“People talk to me like Beth is real,” she says. “We all talk about Beth like she’s a real person.

“I will always be a little disappointed when people meet me. I go to the local bakery and the lady says, 'I'd like to have a drink with you.'

“I know what she means – she wants to drink with Beth. People want to feel some of that energy…someone who is so connected to their original self.”

“And we’re so disconnected. We are all on our phones and social media. It's like it won't happen unless someone takes a photo of it. Beth is the opposite of that. She's just so “alive.”

To say that Reilly's character was tested would be an understatement.

Beth has survived attempted rape, attempted murder, severe grief and betrayal by family members.

She even exclaims: “I am the stone that breaks the therapists.”

Reilly describes Beth as a “powerhouse” and tells me that “dressing her was such a fun adventure.”

“I’m very introverted,” she adds. “I don’t dream of revenge in my life.

“There's something really exciting about playing her. I feel like I have an adrenaline rush for four months while I play them, and when I'm done I think that now I have to go back to my quiet, boring life.” . And I'm very grateful for my quiet, boring life after playing them.

“But every summer, as I prepare for work again and the scripts come in, I look forward to getting to know them again.

“I'm very aware of her talent as a character, but I lock her in a padlocked box for six months of the year.”

The character Beth quickly became a fan favorite, with articles about her character's appearance and thousands of social media posts about her.

One of Beth's most memorable lines of dialogue, “You are the trailer park, I am the tornado,” is even printed on T-shirts.

To what does Reilly attribute this popularity?

“She is clearly herself and makes no apologies for it,” she says. “And as a woman, it’s so refreshing and so much fun to play.”

The actress believes Beth “has penetrated a zeitgeist specifically among women.”

“I think it's this unencumbered kind of freedom that she moves through the world with. She’s not afraid of dying, she’s not afraid of losing.”

“There's a scene in the second season where she's being attacked by a man who's about to rape her and is trying to kill her, and she's covered in blood.

“She won’t be a victim for him. And I think for women and for me, I love that. She's wild.”

After all the trauma her character has experienced, Reilly says she “goes through different phases” of thinking about what a happy ending would be for Beth.

“I trust Taylor and his vision for her. He loves her so much,” she says.

“I would like something cathartic, potentially. I would hate to leave them in the wild. But I don’t know if happiness is something any of these characters strive for.”

“They seek to protect, they seek to kill, they seek to be killed. They don’t strive for a peaceful life.”

The second part of the fifth season of Yellowstone airs from Sunday, November 10th on Paramount.