Summary

• Yellowstone's Kelly Reilly has had an extensive career, starring in a variety of projects ranging from British TV shows to Hollywood movies.
• Reilly's performances often showcase inspiring and bold female characters who navigate male-dominated worlds.
• Some notable highlights of Reilly's career include her roles in Above Suspicion, Pride and Prejudice, Britannia, and Yellowstone, where she has received critical acclaim for her performances.

Kelly Reilly's movies and TV shows are an exciting mix of drama and crime. Reilly started her career with the children’s program The Biz and has since appeared in projects like the Paramount Network original Yellowstone, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies, and the Denzel Washington-starrer Flight. Interestingly, after her role on The Biz, Reilly took her acting journey further with a letter she addressed to the producers of the ITV crime drama Prime Suspect. Starring in the fourth season as a lawyer’s daughter, Reilly went on to earn supporting roles in British shows before transitioning to American productions.

Leading movies like the survivalist thriller Eden Lake and getting top billing in shows like the medical drama Black Box, Reilly played some inspiring and bold heroines. Some of her characters break out in a male-dominated world, adding an optimistic undertone to her performances. After many single-episode appearances in movies and TV shows, Reilly broke out with major roles in the mixed season 2 of True Detective and the heavily praised Yellowstone. Reilly also dabbles in theater, earning a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for the comedy-drama After Miss Julie and making her Broadway debut in Harold Pinter’s Old Times.

10 Above Suspicion (2009-2012)

A Gripping British Police Procedural Drama

The gripping British police procedural drama Above Suspicion boasts convincing performances by Kelly Reilly along with Oscar-nominated veteran Ciarán Hinds. Reilly plays the ambitious rookie police detective Anna Travis while Hinds plays her senior as they investigate a series of gruesome killings. With Travis determined to prove her worth in front of her judgmental male peers, Reilly perfectly exemplified the determined and occasionally reckless attitude of the lead detective. Above Suspicion served as an early career showcase for the actress who was just venturing into lead roles around this time.

Where to Watch Above Suspicion

9 Pride And Prejudice (2005)

One Of The Best Jane Austen Adaptations

While Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden were the faces of the period comedy-drama Pride and Prejudice as Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Reilly plays Caroline Bingley, the snobbish socialite who schemes against the heroine. Jane Austen aficionados would agree that Reilly effortlessly fits the part of the antagonistic supporting character as she attempts to poison Mr. Darcy’s mind against Lizzy. The 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie differs from the book at times but it still endures as one of the finest Jane Austen adaptations.

Where to Watch Pride & Prejudice

8 Britannia (2018-2021)

A Historical Epic About A British Monarch Taking On The Roman Empire

The unabashedly campy Britannia is a delightful throwback to the swords and sandal genre with Kelly Reilly starring as an outspoken Celtic princess protecting her people. With the action beginning in 43 AD during the Roman invasion of Britain, Britannia also focuses on the militaristic tensions between Britain’s tribes. Reilly shines as Princess Kerra, a monarch who can not only lead campaigns against rival tribes but also enter strategic agreements with the Roman Empire. While Britannia might not be the most historically accurate, it is still entertaining and Reilly offers one of the best performances of her television career.

Where to Watch Britannia

7 Russian Dolls (2005)

An Award-Nominated Mystery Series

The French comedy-drama Russian Dolls features a non-linear narrative around a group of friends that reunite after five years. Kelly Reilly stars as an accomplished TV writer named Wendy who faces romantic dilemmas of her own. As she’s involved in an unhealthy relationship, she crosses paths with ex-flame Xavier complicating her life further. Reilly shares the screen with popular French artists like All the Money in the World’s Romain Duris (who plays Xavier) and Amélie star Audrey Tautou. Her stint in French cinema earned Reilly a Best Supporting Actress nomination at France’s esteemed César Awards.

Where to Watch Russian Dolls

6 Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)

A Glamorous Period Piece Starring Judi Dench

Judi Dench has had an unbeaten track record when it comes to starring in period pieces, and Mrs. Henderson Presents is no exception. With the Oscar winner starring as the real-life quirky socialite Laura Henderson, the British biopic and musical drama focuses on her efforts to establish London’s famed Windmill Theatre in 1931. Kelly Reilly plays Maureen, one of the actresses in the theater's notorious all-nude musical production. While veterans like Dench and Hoskins are effortlessly charming, Reilly shines as Maureen in the character's vulnerable moments. Reilly won the London Film Critics' Circle award for British Newcomer of the Year.

Where to Watch Mrs. Henderson Presents

5 10x10 (2018)

The 2018 Thriller Has A Hitchcockian Sense Of Dread

Starring Kelly Reilly and Luke Evans, 10x10 is a heavily underrated thriller with unpredictable twists and turns. Evans stars as Lewis, an everyday man who has a dreadful side when he abducts Cathy (Reilly) in a soundproof 10x10 cell. Suzi Ewing’s deft direction perfectly utilizes the movie’s claustrophobic setting, building atmospheric tension from controlled performances by its two British leads. 10x10’s intentionally restrictive production design and cast build a Hitchockian sense of dread, reminiscent of some of the best Alfred Hitchcock “limited setting” movies like Rope and Lifeboat.

Where to Watch 10x10

4 Calvary (2014)

A Modern Irish Classic Starring Brendan Gleeson

Calvary is a tragically comic character study of a broken man fearing his death. Brendan Gleeson offers a career-best performance as Father James, a courteous priest who is left mentally undisturbed after he receives a death threat during a confession. Kelly Reilly also boasted her dramatic prowess playing his daughter Fiona, a distraught woman left suicidal after her mother’s death and father’s descent into the priesthood. Drawing immensely rave reviews, Calvary is a modern Irish classic that is comparable to dark comedies like Gleeson’s The Banshees of Inisherin which similarly explored themes of guilt, sins, and death.

Calvary is available to watch on DirecTV.

3 Flight (2012)

A Harrowing Drama About Addiction

Robert Zemeckis has helmed many heartwarming family-friendly movies, but he adopted a darker approach for Flight. Denzel Washington gives an Oscar-nominated performance as Whip Whitaker, an alcoholic pilot who after a close shave in a plane crash, must give his testimony about what really happened. Kelly Reilly is equally effective as Nicole, a woman with a heroin addiction who enters into an unlikely relationship with Whip. Zemeckis intimately examines substance abuse through their individual character arcs. Reilly’s moments with Washington prove how she can sink her teeth into troubled roles even while sharing screen time with seasoned veterans.

Where to Watch Flight

2 Eden Lake (2008)

Reilly & Michael Fassbender Are Chill-Inducing As A Married Couple Being Terrorized

When it comes to tourist on-vacation horror movies, Eden Lake is noteworthy. The British horror stars Reilly and Michael Fassbender as a married couple on a camping trip, but their journey goes awry when the couple is harassed by a gang of teenagers led by a delightfully menacing Jamie Bell. As a woman eager to survive despite all odds, Reilly captures realistic chills-inducing tension while Bell is at his terrorizing best. Ultimately, the movie trades gory shock value for a more insightful look into the fears and utter chaos set in by the 2000s period known as “Broken Britain.”

Where to Watch Eden Lake

1 Yellowstone (2018-Present)

The Western Drama Series Has Evolved Into An Entire Franchise