What do you get when you combine youthful arrogance, a career in theater despite no
proper schooling, and an iconic character?
You get Kelly Reilly's career!
Keep watching for more on this amazing actor.
Kelly Reilly grew up in Chessington, a region in Greater London, England.
Her childhood was remarkably ordinary, as she told the Evening Standard in 2012 -
"I don't have any upper-class breeding in me whatsoever.
My dad was a police officer — he retired last year — and my mother works as a receptionist
at the antenatal clinic in Kingston Hospital."
Reilly has certainly played the upper crust through her characters, but that social elitism
doesn't come naturally to her, as she went on to tell the outlet -
"I've met upper-class people, and I find it hard to have any sympathy for them, because
it's as if they're living in a bubble.
Maybe that's how I see it because I'm a working-class-girl, but I think that attitude displays a gross
kind of naïveté."
In an interview with Netribution in 2000, Reilly emphasized what a normal household
she grew up in, adding that the ordinariness of her life made acting seem out of the question.
She said-
"But I never, ever, ever, in my wildest dreams, thought that I could be an actor because I
come from a working-class family."
Through drama class at school, Kelly Reilly got her first taste of acting, thanks to a
perceptive teacher who noticed her shyness and lack of interest in the rest of her classes.
Speaking of this instructor, Reilly told the Evening Standard -
"He put me in his wife's drama group — and suddenly I was reading Chekhov and Shakespeare.
My world suddenly became much more exciting."
Once immersed in this world, Reilly told Netribution of hearing of an acquaintance who'd been involved
with a showcase.
Thanks to the innocence of youth and a little healthy ego, Reilly wrote a letter to the
artistic director, saying -
"Please, please see me.
I'm 16 years old, I'm great, I think you really need to see me and it would be a loss if you
don't."
Before she knew it, Reilly landed an audition as well as an agent and got onto "Prime Suspect."
While still just a teenager, Reilly moved to London and began a new life.
In hindsight, the actor admitted it was scary, but it was clearly the right move.
You'd never know it from her performances, but Kelly Reilly never received training at
a formal acting school.
She told Netribution -
"I wanted to go to drama school, my drama teachers were very keen that you go and learn
your craft, but I didn't have the money to do it, that was one, and I was getting more
work."
She summed up her acting education to The Guardian, saying -
"Working with other actors was my training."
What's more, she didn't shy away from daunting theater parts, like when she was cast as Desdemona
in the "Othello" production put on by the ultra prestigious Donmar Warehouse without
having much prior experience with the works of Shakespeare.
"Challenge accepted."
It ultimately didn't matter, as her work in the show earned her a nod for an Olivier award.
In 2015, Reilly found herself on Broadway, acting in the Harold Pinter play "Old Times"
and spoke with PIX11 about what a dream it was to be acting in the United States.
She shared -
"To be a London stage actor, in New York, it really is something that's very special.
[It's] a dream that I have always had."
So what's the difference between theater and film?
For Reilly, it's the fragmented nature of filming that can be frustrating as an actor.
She explained to Netribution -
"You'll get to do a little bit of a scene one day, and then you have to wrap because
it's the end of the day and you might not get around to it for the next few days.
Sometimes there isn't enough time to do the detail that you can do when you're doing a
play, so there are different frustrations I think in both of them."
Early on in her career, Reilly explained how work ethic and taking jobs was more important
than elitism about art, telling Netribution in 2000 -
"I think nowadays, especially young actors, we're grateful for any work we can get.
[...] If you're worth your salt as an actor, I don't think people hold that against you.
I certainly wouldn't hold it against anybody or go, 'Oh God, how could you let your art
down?'"
Nine years later, and that much further into her career, Reilly told The Scotsman that
she was well aware of her fortunate position, saying -
"I know I'm one of the lucky ones.
Believe me, I know.
Some of my best friends are actors and they're not working, and they really should be because
they're really talented."
Fitting for her role as Beth Dutton in "Yellowstone," Kelly Reilly has always been wild for horses.
In fact, the only thing that lured her away from a life of working with horses was showbiz.
She told the Evening Standard -
"I used to go and work in a yard in Epsom — 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's love of horses came in handy for "Yellowstone."
Ironically though, her character is one of the few who doesn't spend a lot of time on
horses.
Evidently, Reilly only gets a chance to get in the saddle when she's not on the clock.
She told Parade in July 2018 -
"If I had some free time, I would get out west and I would go riding.
[...] It's always been where I get my head screwed back on — just being in nature and
being on horses.
So being in the world of Montana whilst also doing a job, I'm so like passionate about,
it was a perfect fit for me."
While Kelly Reilly doesn't always have to get rigged up into intense costumes, she has
starred in several period pieces that require uncomfortable, antiquated outfits.
She told The Scotsman -
"When you first put on a corset it's like someone just sucked all the air out of your
body.
[...] You feel you can't sit down, you can't walk, and God forbid you'd want to eat anything."
But Reilly used the discomfort for the complicated role of Desdemona when she performed in "Othello,"
saying -
"And because that was on stage, night after night, you really need to be able to have
your lungs expand.
And I found the corset, that tension, was really good.
You used it for the role."
Learning to use this tension was something that Reilly picked up on when surrounded by
other actors, telling The Guardian -
"I was introverted about what acting meant to me.
It was so magical and private.
I am a slow worker, incredibly diligent.
I'm getting faster now but then I'd sit at the back of the class until I could find my
voice."
Acting didn't just bring Kelly Reilly a paycheck and worldwide recognition.
It also helped her overcome personal struggles, as she told The Scotsman -
"This job has definitely toughened me up.
I remember doing a play called 'Piano Forte' at [London's] Royal Court about three years
ago, and I'd just come out of a really terrible break-up.
And I was feeling really fragile.
And this character I was about to play was not fragile.
She was the strongest character I've ever played."
She went on to note that taking on roles with powerful characters could help actors in their
personal lives, saying:
"You can borrow things from characters.
Because you go to a different place in your head that's not you.
And it can invigorate — as well as being difficult."
But Reilly's characters are inspirational to others as well, not just herself.
When speaking to ET about playing Beth Dutton in "Yellowstone," Reilly remarked that women
all over the world resonated with her incredible spirit and ferociousness.
"There's something about her that's really empowered a lot of women."
When Kelly Reilly played the character Mary Morstan in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes,"
she was unfairly dragged into a behind-the-scenes scandal.
In October 2008, Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie and the split was made official
the following month — and that all happened to be around when filming began on "Sherlock
Holmes."
The rumor mill started churning, and it wasn't long before people began to erroneously speculate
that the director's split from Madonna was due to a supposed affair between the former
and Reilly.
Reilly recalled the story to The Telegraph, saying -
"I had done one day's filming with him and said, 'Hello, how are you?'
We'd talked about a scene and before you knew it there were press on my parents' doorstep
going, 'So, I hear that Kelly's the reason for the divorce.'"
"But…
It doesn't make any sense!"
As Reilly told The Guardian in 2011, she ended up taking the matter to court.
While she was able to laugh about it in hindsight, she didn't like the harm the rumor caused,
saying -
"I let it affect me because it was embarrassing.
Not with regard to Guy — to be honest, I couldn't care less what he thought, he's used
to it!
But I had people ringing me up saying: 'What's this about you and...'
It hurts people you love.
I was in a relationship."
After spending years in a quiet neighborhood in England, Kelly Reilly ended up making the
great pilgrimage known to so many actors: the move to Los Angeles.
While Reilly was obviously excited about her blossoming career, she told The Telegraph
that the move to Los Angeles wasn't as sunny as one might guess.
But Reilly ended up warming to the famous city.
While living in Los Angeles, she said -
"There are hardly any actors left in England right now as they're all over here."
While the City of Angels was daunting at first, Reilly's into living in the United States.
She told Parade in 2018 -
"I certainly love the country of the west.
I love Montana, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming."
However, as much as she may appreciate the Wild West, she shared with the outlet that
she resides in New York — and she seems content with living on this particular side
of the pond.
Kelly Reilly deeply loves her privacy, and the commotion and dazzle that goes with celebrity
doesn't really suit her.
This theme of privacy is one that comes up over the years with Reilly.
She once explained to The Guardian that the ability to escape is paramount for her line
of work, saying -
"I think when you're an actor and you're drawing on your emotions all the time you need to
be quite steady.
You need to be able to separate yourself.
[...] I have a nice, normal life and I couldn't live in this world all the time.
Sometimes, I think I could disappear quite easily but then again it's my job and I love
it."
While Reilly sure seems to enjoy doing this for a living, she's also not completely taken
with every element of the gig.
In a refreshingly candid moment, she said -
"There is a part of me that is not fulfilled by acting.
It is a self-involved life, it can feel shallow, but not very often.
I know there'll be a day when I'll want to have a family — and I know that life takes
precedence over my work."
When it comes to Kelly Reilly's relationships, she's a self-described "serial monogamist."
She explained to The Telegraph why this is essential to her, saying -
"I think I need someone who understands an artist's mentality.
I couldn't be with someone who wouldn't let me have my freedom.
This doesn't mean I don't want to settle down, but my life will always be filled [with] a
sense of adventure, the sense of the unknown — that makes me very happy."
According to Parade, the "Yellowstone" star was previously linked to actors JJ Feild and
Jonah Lotan.
While her previous relationships may suggest she only dates people who work in the acting
field, Reilly ended up marrying financier Kyle Baugher.
The two tied the knot in England and reside together in New York.
As Parade notes, they moved along quickly, meeting in 2012, and getting engaged and married
in the same year.
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