“She’s used to being in charge,” Perabo tells Parade.com. “She’s used to being the boss, but she didn’t really do her research when she went into western Montana. I think that that’s one of her big errors. She doesn’t understand the forces at play, and she certainly doesn’t know the family that she’s getting involved in.” For some reason, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) bails Summer out of jail after having had her arrested, and she is at first reluctant to listen to what he has to say as he tries to find some common ground. “The way John comes at her when they first meet with this lecture is not the way to get through to people,” Perabo tells Parade.com. “He stands over her and lectures her about her way of life. It doesn’t work. What’s cool about John Dutton is that you can see that he thinks about it and goes again. When he comes the second time, he invites her to the ranch. He brings her into his world. Summer wasn’t expecting somebody who wanted to engage on that level.” But John isn’t the only Dutton that Summer tangles with out on the ranch. In fact, he may not be the most dangerous one, but as mentioned, Summer doesn’t understand the family that she’s tangling with. “When I was playing her, part of me wanted to always be whispering in her ear, ‘You know John’s not the only boss on this ranch. Lookout!’ There are so many dangerous people on this ranch, but she’ll figure it out.” She definitely gets a clue where else danger may lie when she has her first encounter with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). “I do have a run-in with Beth that that’s coming up,” Perabo says. “No one should go up against Beth Dutton. If you survive Beth Dutton, I’m proud of you because she is a real force to be reckoned with.” While John is sharing his way of life on the ranch, Summer discovers that there may be even bigger fish to fry in the form of the company that is building the airport in hopes of turning this area of Montana into an Aspen-like destination. “When Summer realizes that the airport is going to be built, what she came to do all shifts and she realizes there’s a much bigger play here,” Perabo says. “I think she bites off a little more than she can chew, but I think if you’re passionate about something, if those opportunities come up, that’s your chance to really put your money where your mouth is, and so she’s going to try and make a difference.” Jacki Weaver plays Caroline Warner, the woman who runs the company that wants to turn this section of Montana into an Aspen-type resort, and it turns out that Perabo is a huge fan of the actress, but she tried very hard not to fangirl too much. “I saw her years ago in this film called Animal Kingdom, which is an amazing Australian movie. I’ve seen so much of her work since. When you’re a fan of somebody and they walk into the same room you’re in, it’s hard to be cool. We were doing camera tests and she just popped in with her cool leather coat on and her boots. I was trying to hold it together. It was difficult, but I didn’t want her to know that I was such a fan because sometimes actors get a little distracted or annoyed by that. She’s such a powerhouse, I didn’t want to ruffle her feathers.” That said, Summer will definitely be ruffling feathers this season on Yellowstone. Read on for more of our interview.
On The Big Leap and Cover Affairs, you were part of the original cast. What was it like joining Yellowstone in its fourth season?
It’s really fun. Actually, I was a fan of the show before I ever knew I was going to be on it. I love Taylor Sheridan’s writing, I love his movies, so when he made Yellowstone, I was in 100 percent. But it was so weird to watch for three seasons and then get on it. I’m like a fan. Joining the show is awesome.
Does this show make you want to be a cowgirl?
It’s really harsh work, ranching. They make it look gorgeous but if you’re ranching all day—I met women out there that were ranching—but it is a hard life. It’s a lot of work.
What is it like working with Kevin Costner?
It’s so great. It’s very distracting right at the beginning because, obviously, I’ve seen him in hundreds of movies. When you first see him in real life, of course, you think of Dances with Wolves, Field of Dreams, Robin Hood, and Bull Durham, and hundreds of movies. It’s a little distracting. Because I’m a fan of the show, I know what John Dutton looks like, but there’s Kevin Costner, and it’s John Dutton. It’s all kind of exciting. I had to try to not have any coffee and be very cool that first day. But Kevin, obviously, is an incredible actor, very professional, very serious, really cares about his part of the world on the show, and has also directed a lot on his own, so he is so familiar with a new kid on the set.
One of the things that’s really fabulous about Yellowstone is you’re actually shooting on a ranch. What’s it like working on such a gorgeous set with the scenery and the vistas? Has it changed your thoughts on what we’re doing to the land?
Especially during the pandemic, to leave where I was and get to go to Montana, which is so wide open. Yellowstone was one of the first shows back. One of the directors said, “Well, everybody is on horseback, so we know we’re at least six feet apart from each other.” But it’s so beautiful and I love to fish and Montana has some of the best live fishing in the country, so I was so excited for my days off as much as my days on because I could go and fish the big rivers. It’s still such a wild place. In the mornings, you see where they drive the cattle, and there are signs where you put your trash out at night that show you how to lock the cans so that the grizzly bears don’t rip it all open and tear it all apart. The first bald eagle I ever saw was fishing in Montana. It’s just one of these places that reminds you how beautiful the world is. It’s a real privilege to be in a place like that.
This was a chance for you to work with your husband, Stephen Kay, again. He hadn’t directed you in a while.
No, he hasn’t directed me since we did Covert Affairs together. He’s been on Yellowstone from the beginning. It’s a world that he really cares about, and these people are his friends that I’ve heard so many stories about. Sometimes when you join a show and it’s already in progress, you’re the new kid at school. You don’t know anybody, but because my husband works on the show, like the second AD loves to go fishing, and so I could go fishing with him. There are a bunch of guys on the crew that will go and drink at the bar in town, so it was fun to be with a group of people that I already had an in with.
I was really surprised at how huge a hit Yellowstone became. Initially, I thought, “A Western?” But it’s a family drama as well. Why do you think it’s such a big hit?
I think it’s definitely the family drama. I think you’re right. There are shows right now like Succession and Yellowstone that are really about the family dynamics and I think that’s what we can all relate to, but I also think that the pandemic that makes us yearn for these wide-open spaces. There’s an escape. The American Western has this draw of spaciousness and beauty that, I think, when they were closing everything down, we all missed and so it’s kind of wish-fulfillment in a way. Yellowstone airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network. Next, Everything We Know About Yellowstone Season 4
