Season 3 brought a whole new infusion of talent to “Yellowstone.” A triumvirate of women joined the bunkhouse in various capacities, and Beth acquired both a new ally and a new foe.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette from the Paramount Network, the actresses and their colleagues discussed those new characters and their impact on the “Yellowstone” atmosphere.
“It’s good fun to have some of these people drop in now,” John Dutton actor Kevin Costner observed.
Teeter Upends the Bunkhouse
Teeter is the rough, wiry, barely-intelligible new ranch hand who Rip (Cole Hauser) hires to keep the bunkhouse boys on their toes.
“My character in particular can’t really even hardly understand her,” Costner said.
Teeter actress Jen Landon said that as she thinks about it, she’s there to one-up the boys. That and to pursue Colby aggressively.
“Teeter is the new addition to the bunkhouse,” Landon said. “Whatever wild antics exist in the bunkhouse, Teeter takes it to a new level.”
For his part, Rip seems to find Teeter entertaining. And he exacts revenge when Teeter gets attacked by Roarke’s (Josh Holloway) men toward the end of Season 3.
“She’s a badass,” Hauser said of Teeter. “And Jen does a great job at pulling it off.”
“Jen Landon, who plays Teeter – she’s just wild,” Beth actress Kelly Reilly agreed.
Even the actors who share few if any scenes with Landon are fans of Teeter.
“That character, Teeter, is something else,” Kayce actor Luke Grimes said.
But Teeter was not the only female character to join the “Yellowstone” cast last season.
“This show really started with two women,” Beth actress Kelly Reilly explained. “Monica and Beth. Season 3 was almost like handing the baton.”
The Barrel Racers Barrel Into ‘Yellowstone’
Then there’s Mia and Laramie, Jimmy’s new girlfriend and her friend, who sidles up to Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) before latching onto Walker (Ryan Bingham). They basically follow Jimmy home from the rodeo.
“These new additions make for a really fun dynamic,” Jimmy actor Jefferson White said.
“There’s a lot of energy to keep up with,” Colby actor Denim Richards agreed. “Your game kinda has to get upped a little bit.”
Rip, on the other hand, is not too thrilled about the sudden presence of the barrel racers in the bunkhouse. And he eventually threatens to kill Jimmy after Rip gets stuck in a truck with the ranch hand and his very talkative girlfriend.
“Barrel racers, they’re a bit like rock stars, where, you know, they’re just trying to have a laugh and a good time,” Laramie actress Hassie Harrison said.
Both Harrison and Mia actress Eden Brolin said they were already really into what the show is all about. Brolin had been watching “Yellowstone,” while Harrison said the Western genre “is like catnip for me.”
“It was really exciting because it was the first time that I had gotten to come onto a show as a fan,” Brolin said. “Mia and Laramie just literally barrel into the bunkhouse, just goin’ their own speed.”
Beth Picks Up a New Ally and a New Enemy
Meanwhile, Beth Dutton gains an ally in the form of Angela Blue Thunder, a Native American power broker who is going to throw a wrench into Roarke’s plans.
“It was really great to dive into the world of ‘Yellowstone,’” Angela Blue Thunder actress Q’Orianka Kilcher said. “Angela Blue Thunder is just a force of nature.”
Further, Kilcher plays Angela Blue Thunder as a razor-sharp, acidic, and somewhat cynical helper to Thomas Rainwater, the chief of the Reservation neighboring the Dutton ranch.
“Q’Orianka, she’s just a fabulous actress,” Thomas Rainwater actor Gil Birmingham said. “She’s quite the counterpart to Beth Dutton.”
However, Season 3 also brings a new enemy, one who really throws Beth off and leaves her at a loss for a brief moment before she recovers.
“For the first time Beth has an equal,” Reilly said of the Willa Hayes character. “She’s formidable and just fierce.”
“It literally fires your imagination in the best kind of way,” Willa actress Karen Pittman said of the show.
Reilly and Pittman played characters going after each other “like gladiators,” and both seemed to enjoy the acting challenge.
“It was probably the most fun I’ve had all season,” Reilly added of working with Pittman.
Across the board, the “Yellowstone” veterans seem to have relished the chance to work with some new faces. And the additional characters seem to have given show co-creator Taylor Sheridan more creative room to maneuver.
