Yellowstone finally made its debut on CBS and fans want to know more about the star behind the Dutton matriarch, Gretchen Mol.
Paramount Network’s acclaimed western drama Yellowstone premiered on CBS this month with 6.6 million viewers tuning in.
With the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, long-time fans tuned in for a refresher while many were watching the Dutton family for the first time.
The last three episodes of season one introduced the no-nonsense Evelyn Dutton through a series of heart-wrenching flashbacks.
The premiere revealed just how cold-hearted she was towards her only daughter Beth Dutton (played by Kelly Reilly), while the recent double-bill unveiled the tragic accident that led to her death.
As a result, fans are convinced Beth inherited her mother’s stern and no-nonsense personality.
Who plays Evelyn Dutton in Yellowstone?
Gretchen Mol stars as Evelyn, the wife of John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and the mother to their four children Beth, Kayce (Luke Grimes), Lee (Dave Annable) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).
Although the modern Western introduced their children well into their adult years, the matriarch only made appearances in flashback scenes.
Her small and impactful role was used to show just how cold-blooded and brutal she was to Beth during her teenage years.
This was seen during the recent episode when she reflected on her upbringing during the anniversary of Evelyn’s death.
The flashback showed how she blamed Beth for her tragic fall as she looked at her daughter and told Kayce: “She did this. Let her undo it.”
But after the youngster ran to get her father, they returned to find Evelyn had already taken her last breath.
As a result, John was left heartbroken at the loss of their wife while Beth struggled to deal with the weight of blame being her mother’s final words.
When she thought back to the death, Beth while bathing in a trough while drinking champagne, clearly troubled by the memory.
Although Evelyn played a minor role in Yellowstone, it was a key introduction to the root of Beth’s problems.
The actress is also well-versed in Hollywood and is well recognised for her role in HBO’s Broadwalk Empire as Gillian Darmody.
Since getting her start as a model in 1996 she starred in a number of films including The Funeral, Donnie Brasco, The Thirteenth Floor and The Notorious Bettie Page.
This year, Mol is set to star in The Invisibles replacing Lucy Liu, the sci-fi drama which also stars Bruce Greenwood and Tim Blake Nelson and is currently in post-production.