Austenland
Do You Remember This ‘Yellowstone’ Star in ‘Pride & Prejudice’?
Two hundred and twelve years ago, Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice, one of the most important works of literature and easily among the most acclaimed love stories of all time.
As early as the 1930s, each generation seemingly gets its own televised and big screen adaptation of Austen’s seminal work, heralding a new age of romantic leads (Netflix is already preparing to keep up with the tradition with its new version starring Emma Corrin, Olivia Colman, and Jack Lowden). Twenty years ago, Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen led one of the most beloved versions ever made with Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation. The lush backdrop of the English countryside. The vibrantly spiky romantic tension between Elizabeth (Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Macfadyen). The warm sunset of their magnificently enchanting love story. Jane Austen would have been proud.
Like most adaptations, the supporting cast is also filled with up-and-coming actors on the verge of breaking big, and the 2005 adaptation was no exception. Tucked away in the cast are the likes of Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan, and Talulah Riley as Elizabeth’s sisters Jane, Lydia, Kitty, and Mary, respectively.
But outside the immediate Bennet family, there is another familiar face who fans of Yellowstone will certainly recognize. Read on to refresh your memory of which Dutton first traipsed through the English countryside before heading to Montana!
Which Yellowstone star appeared in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice?
Those revisiting 2005’s Pride & Prejudice for its 20th anniversary won’t have to watch long to see a blast from the future right from the Yellowstone ranch.
In one of the early scenes, the Bennet sisters attend a ball and meet a wealthy bachelor named Charles Bingley (Simon Woods), who has moved into Netherfield Hall nearby. He has brought a few guests to the ball, including Mr. Darcy, with whom Elizabeth wastes no times locking horns; and his younger sister, Caroline, played by Yellowstone‘s own Kelly Reilly.
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That’s right folks, the future Beth Dutton was first seen by many people as the prim, proper ,and pompous Caroline, who doesn’t make fast friends with the Bennet family. In her first scene at the ball, Reilly’s screen time is largely spent mean-mugging and judging the room of eager young women fawning over her brother and Mr. Darcy.
From there, she alternates between chuckling under her breath at Elizabeth’s hemline and enunciating “Mr. Darcy” as she takes Ms. Bennet for a stroll around the parlor. The pair become tenuous allies, through playfully gritted teeth, throughout the film.
At one point, Elizabeth calls it “stimulating company.” But Caroline’s patience for the intrusion of the Bennets’ shaggy existence begins to waver when they continue to show up at her doorstep for the men in her life. As she puts it, “Oh, for heaven’s sake, are we to receive every Bennet in the country?”
Watching it now, fans will see that Reilly plays a similar role in 19th century England as she does on the Dutton ranch—the no-nonsense observer who rarely has time for the antics of others. In other words, Kelly Reilly can give good side eye in any century.
Did you spot the actress in the period film? Let us know in the comments below.
Pride & Prejudice, Streaming Now, Netflix
