Yellowstone‘s Beth actor, Kelly Reilly, explains how her character will be affected by John Dutton’s absence, with Kevin Costner departing the show. Costner, who plays the Dutton family’s patriarch, is the series’ biggest star, but due to a scheduling conflict with Costner launching his own Horizon franchise, the star left the show prior to Yellowstone season 5 part 2. Beth is John’s daughter, who inherits the ranch after John’s cancer diagnosis.

In an interview with Screen Rant‘s Grant Hermanns, Reilly speaks about how John Dutton’s departure will affect Beth. The actor touches on the daughter-father relationship in the show, with John being “everything” to Beth along with Rip. John’s absence “affects” Beth “wildly,” but it’s “only physical,” because his legacy will still be felt in Yellowstone. Check out what she said:

It affects her wildly. Her father is everything to her, as is Rip. These two men in her life are her linchpins, and yeah, you can imagine what that might do to someone who has been so utterly devoted. John Dutton is still a very central character in our show in this last season. His absence is only physical, he is there in all of us as we round this thing up.

What Reilly’s Comment Means For Yellowstone

John Dutton Is Still Central To The Story

Yellowstone season 5, episode 9, opens with the shocking revelation about John Dutton’s death. Beth and Kayce are the two people who discover John’s body. In the episode, Beth’s worst fear has become a reality. Though it looks like suicide, she suspects that her brother Jamie is behind it. What Reilly said confirms what viewers already know from the scene, John’s death will play a huge part in Beth’s character arc in the final six episodes.

Beth is loyal to her father and the two have a special bond. With Beth being sharp-witted and business-oriented, Kelly Reilly’s character has inherited more than just the ranch from John. The actor’s comment about John being absent only physically indicates that viewers will likely see how his spirit and core values will stay on through his children. At the same time, this seems to hint that the last six episodes will have a lot to do with John. Though the family patriarch is no longer there, the series will put an emphasis on those who remain.

Our Take On The Remaining Yellowstone Episodes

Yellowstone Returns With A Bang

Yellowstone is officially back, and the first episode hits viewers with a bang. One of the series’ biggest mysteries is solved by finally addressing how it handled John Dutton’s departure. It seems that no resurrection will ever happen and John is really gone.

John’s death marks a pivotal point in Beth and Jamie’s lives, leaving fans with more questions than answers. The event seems to have sent the rest of the Dutton on a path to find out the truth, and the aftermath is just beginning. It comes as a surprise that Yellowstone returns with the murder mystery of the show’s own John Dutton.