Lainey Wilson is getting candid about her “Yellowstone” kiss.
Wilson recently opened up about what it was like to make her acting debut on a show that means so much to her, as well as the learning curve she experienced when preparing for her first on-screen kiss. Since the show takes place on a ranch in Montana, both she and fellow actor Ian Bohen (who stars as ranch hand Ryan) were wearing cowboy hats, which turned out to be an obstacle when it came to the scene.
“It’s definitely about leaning the head to one side; angles are so important,” Wilson told USA Today. “And there’s another kiss coming where I take my hat off. That’s when you know you’re getting down to it.”
Prior to filming the scene, Wilson recalled feeling as if she wasn’t sure of her actions but decided to just dive right in.
Lainey Wilson is getting candid about her “Yellowstone” kiss.
(Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
“I didn’t really know what I was doing, but you go in there head-first. I was going to give people their money’s worth,” Wilson said. “I told my mommy and daddy, ‘You might not want to watch this show.’ I don’t want to be on their prayer list.”
Making her debut on “Yellowstone” was especially meaningful to Wilson due to the fact that the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, has long been a supporter of her music, going as far as using her song, “Working Overtime,” in the season 2 premiere episode in 2019, long before Wilson had a record deal.
Sheridan solidified his support for the country music star when he wrote the role of Abby specifically for Wilson, offering her the part in February 2022.
“[Sheridan] said he wanted me to pretty much be myself, which is a dream come true, especially when you’re trying to introduce yourself to people,” Wilson said. “All I got from him at that time was that I would play a musician who would fall in love with one of the boys. He didn’t even tell me which one.”
Wilson previously told Fox News Digital that while she didn’t have any scenes with Kevin Costner, she was able to meet other members of the cast and got close to some of them.
Wilson became friends with Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton on “Yellowstone,” when she arrived on set for her episode.
(Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for CMT)
“I became good friends with ‘Beth,’ Kelly Reilly. She’s a spitfire, but she’s also one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met,” Wilson said, noting that she “became friends with a lot of” other actors on set and that they “welcomed [her] with open arms.”
The episode turned out to be a major full-circle moment for the “Dear Mrs. Loretta” singer as she found herself singing the late Loretta Lynn’s music on the back of a flatbed trailer, something Wilson did at the beginning of her career when she got her first job in the entertainment industry by acting as a body double for Miley Cyrus in “Hannah Montana.”
“I’m on this flatbed stage singing once again but not in my Hannah Montana wig. And I thought, ‘Dang, this is a full-circle moment for me,’” Wilson told USA Today. “And I’m singing ‘Watermelon Moonshine,’ a song about young, wild and crazy love.”
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Her debut on “Yellowstone” came a little over a month after the release of her new album, “Bell Bottom Country,” which was released on Oct. 28. Many of the songs off the album can be heard weekly on season 5 of “Yellowstone.” She previously told Fox News Digital that the album was all about helping her fans embrace what makes them unique.
“It’s about finding whatever makes you you and different and leaning into it as much as you possibly can,” Wilson explained. “It could be where you’re from, how you were raised, the way that you talk, the way that you look, the way that you dress, your story. It’s just about leaning into that unapologetically and being yourself, and I think that’s what we do with this record. I pulled back those layers and dug a little deeper, sharing some sides to me that I didn’t know I had myself.”
Wilson says she is just getting started in her career and is excited to see what comes next.
(Steve Jennings/Getty Images)
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While it seems like Wilson has reached her goals, she says she’s “just getting started.”
“We’re working hard just to work harder. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves,” Wilson said. “I’m trying all these new things, even ‘Yellowstone,’ my first acting gig. I’m excited to see what the next step is.”
