The fifth season of Yellowstone kicked off with a two-hour premiere on Sunday night (November 13), and among the show’s highly-anticipated moments was award-winning country artist Lainey Wilson’s acting debut.
Wilson joined the Yellowstone cast as Abby, who is also a singer. The “Heart Like A Truck” star said as the cast broke down the season 5 premiere episode that she’s “honored and humbled to be joining Yellowstone.” She added in a clip also shared by CMT that it was “so fun getting to watch the season premiere together live! ❤️”
Wilson has opened up about the challenges of learning to act, including learning lines and staying connected to emotions. But she’s “having a lot of fun” with her new role, and Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly, who pays Beth Dutton, has reportedly said she never would’ve guessed Wilson was a beginning. Wilson said, per CMT: “I took that as a compliment. She's one of the best actresses in the entire world. That really gave me that extra boost of confidence. I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone, but what's the point in doing all this if I'm not pushing the limits? If I'm not doing things that are a little bit uncomfortable, I wouldn't be growing anymore.”
Wilson — who recently became the reigning CMA New Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year — has previously shared teasers as the season premiere approached. She recently hinted in an interview that Yellowstone viewers would be “shocked” by one of the storylines, and has said that she’s “most definitely READY” for fans to see what happens next.
Yellowstone focuses on “a ranching family in Montana (who) faces off against others encroaching on their land,” its description reads on IMDb. The show stars Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley and others in the star-studded cast. The hit series premiered in 2018, created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, and has only grown with popularity since then. The two-hour season 5 premiere released Sunday on Paramount+.