Lilli Kay plays Clara Brewer on the Paramount Network's Western drama Yellowstone. Brewer is one of the fresh new faces in Season 5, appearing in the second episode and taking a role as John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) new assistant after he's sworn in as the new governor of Montana.
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Kay has only been in the industry for a short time, but she's garnered plenty of experience in a variety of roles. She's also worked with some of the biggest names in movies and TV, which should have more than prepared her for a role where she'll be working with the Dutton patriarch to combat the family's (and the Yellowstone ranch's) enemies.
This relatively new actress is going to be an important part of Season 5, which is already evident. And with that in mind, fans will likely want to learn more about Kay, her acting chops, and how she'll fit into the Yellowstone storyline. Read on to learn more about Lilli!
Who is Lilli Kay?
Instagram/Lilli Kay
Lilli Kay is fairly new to the acting scene, having gotten her start in television a few short years ago in 2018. Born in 1994 in Brooklyn, New York, Kay attended a private college in the city and harbored an interest in acting and modeling since she was young.
Her first acting role came in 2018 with the HBO film Paterno, in which she acted alongside the legendary Al Pacino, who portrayed Joe Paterno, as well as Kathy Baker and Larry Mitchell. Kay played a young woman named Dori. It was a small part, but enough to launch her career in a big way.
From there, she went on to appear in the 2019 series Madam Secretary, starring Téa Leoni, in a single episode as a character named Ruby Bragg, the daughter of pastor Eli Bragg (Jim True-Frost), who runs one of the largest megachurches in America.
Here's where you've seen Lilli Kay before
Instagram/Lilli Kay
Beyond her role in Yellowstone, Kay has appeared in several TV series, like 2019's Chambers, where she played Penelope Fowler, a recurring character. She worked alongside actors like Uma Thurman on this supernatural horror series, which lasted a single season on Netflix.
This marked her first major recurring role ahead of her appearance in Yellowstone. While she would make a stop over in the short This Is Not a Love Letter in 2020, she wouldn't appear in any TV shows or movies until 2022, when she landed her role as Clara Brewer.
Coming to Yellowstone
Paramount
Kay had already made a name for herself in prior roles, but she's been rising to prominence ever since she got the role of Clara Brewer in Yellowstone. As John Dutton's new assistant while he navigates the water as Governor, she'll play an important role this season that's still very much in its infancy. In an interview with Hello, Kay discussed how her new character fits into the world of the Duttons.
"I think it's kind of hilarious. This is a character who is entering this world that she's very not accustomed to," she said. "She's 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." She added that Brewer has her "feet on the ground" and approaches politics in a "morally straightforward way," which she notes feels "new."
Much of Brewer's time has been spent thus far getting used to the way John does things, but the pair didn't get along so well when they first met.
"Initially, he's a big challenge," she said. "He's difficult to wrangle but I think she just gains so much respect for him and for the way that he operates and I think they kind of have a little bit of camaraderie as it goes along. They sort of start to get used to each other." We'll see more of Kay as the season wears on, but she's certainly brought plenty of intrigue just a few episodes in.
Your Honor and beyond
After Yellowstone, Kay went on to snag another recurring role as Fia Baxter in the Showtime original series Your Honor. There, she worked with heavy hitters like star Bryan Cranston, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Hope Davis and Amy Landecker.
But this is hardly the last you'll see of this bright new starlet. You'll be able to see more of Kay as she tackles two upcoming roles, according to her IMDB page. One is in the film August at Twenty-Two, in which she'll star opposite Ali Edwards and Mia Rose Kavensky. She'll also star in the drama Rustin alongside names like Chris Rock, Bill Irwin, and Jeffrey Wright. Both films are set to debut in 2023.
READ MORE: Who Wrote 'Yellowstone'? Meet Series Creator Taylor Sheridan
