Yellowstone's Lilli Kay Joined The Show With A Lifetime Of Riding Experience

In the ongoing fifth season of Taylor Sheridan's hugely popular "Yellowstone," the Dutton family has climbed even further up the echelons of power in Montana. John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is serving as governor, with his loyal daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) as his chief of staff and his son Jamie (Wes Bentley) as the attorney general. Of course, it's not entirely a family affair. In Season 5, Episode 2, "Yellowstone" viewers are introduced to Clara Brewer (played by Lilli Kay), Dutton's personal assistant.

Kay explained that Clara — an outsider compared to the familial Dutton clan — can be considered an analog for the viewer. "This is a character who is entering this world that she's very not accustomed to," the actress told Hello! "She is a political [woman]. She's used to sort of dealing with politicians, she's not used to this and I think she, in a weird way, is like us." Still, Brewer isn't all Google calendars and pantsuits. A Montana native, she's also just as comfortable on a horse as she is in a conference room. Luckily, Kay arrived on set with horse-riding chops.

Clara Brewer is from Miles City, Montana, a town steeped in Old West history and horseback riding culture. There might be fewer cowboys in Lilli Kay's native Brooklyn, but the actress has plenty of experience riding horses. "I've been riding and working with horses since I was about six years old," Kay said in an appearance on "The Official Yellowstone Podcast."

For Kay, joining a series where she could rekindle her old hobby was the cherry on top. "Obviously I moved away from anywhere that I would have access to that. And so it had been a second, and that was just the greatest joy. I grew up training and doing all that kind of good stuff so it really was a dream come true to get to do that [horse riding] at this job." Kay shows off her equestrian skills in Season 5, Episode 5, titled "Watch 'em Ride Away," when she joins a team of ranch hands on a camping trip.