Annette Bening Loves Playing a 'Woman Who's Still Fighting for Romance' with Ed Harris on “Dutton Ranch” (Exclusive)

Julia MooreFri, May 29, 2026 at 7:13 PM UTC

0

Annette Bening and Ed Harris in 'Dutton Ranch'
Credit: Paramount+

Warning: This article contains spoilers for episode 4 of Dutton Ranch, now streaming on Paramount+.

In the latest episode of Dutton Ranch, Beulah (Annette Bening) collapses in tears after deciding not to make things romantic again with Everett (Ed Harris)

Bening tells PEOPLE why she "loved" exploring the complicated romantic dynamic with Harris onscreen

"I get to play a woman who's still fighting for romance and connection and feeling this sense of aloneness — I know a lot of women at my stage in life feel this," she says

Annette Bening and Ed Harris have a complicated history in Dutton Ranch.

Their characters, ranch tycoon Beulah and local vet Everett, were romantically involved at one point but are no longer, though Beulah seems keen to rekindle their relationship.

In episode 4, which premiered on Friday, May 29, she concocts a scheme to trick Everett into coming to 10-Petal ranch under the guise of a pregnant mare about to foal. Instead, Everett is met with a glass of whiskey and a conversation about the future — one that ends with them both agreeing they're better off apart.

"We got too many demons to ever be good for each other," Everett says, and he is surprised when Beulah says she "can't argue" with that. As soon as he leaves, she collapses in tears with her head in her hands.

"I love that storyline," Bening, 68, tells PEOPLE. "We had romance when we were very young, and then we had another rekindling, maybe 15, 20 years ago. And that I get to play a woman who's still fighting for romance and connection and feeling this sense of aloneness — I know a lot of women at my stage in life feel this."

Beulah is "still dying to have a connection with" Everett, Bening says. "And you'll see as the story goes on, it's not easy."

Annette Bening in 'Dutton Ranch'
Credit: Paramount +

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Advertisement

"I loved trying to find all of that," she says. "I love this for this woman, and for this character, that she has this desire to connect with this man, and it's still so strong inside of her."

Having Harris, 75, as her scene partner makes it even sweeter. "The fact that we have this long history, and that it's Ed. I know Ed, we'd worked together before. He's so compelling as an actor and as a person." (They also shared the screen in the 2013 film The Face of Love.)

Aside from Harris, the pull to Dutton Ranch for Bening was the chance to work with Kelly Reilly. "I was a fan of Yellowstone, especially Kelly Riley, to be honest, as an actress," she says. "By the way, I didn't even know she was English. When I heard that, I'm like, 'Wait, on top of everything else, she's English? That's incredible.' "

"You're really only as good as who you're acting with," she adds. "With great actors like Ed Harris, Kelly Riley, Cole Hauser, then, really, it's about listening and looking at what they're doing and picking up on that energy. That's the fun of it — the exchange and the uncertainty of what might happen. Is there a surprise in store for what might happen in the scene as we're playing? All of that is the fun of it."

Ed Harris as Everett McKinney and Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson in 'Dutton Ranch'
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Reilly, 48, told PEOPLE ahead of the show's premiere that she and Hauser, 51, were "deeply flattered" by both Harris and Bening joining the cast. “We needed some heavyweights alongside us to tell a new story,” she says.

Hauser describes Bening as "wild and fun and smart," and raves about the chance to work with Harris. “The opportunity and honor to work with Ed was a dream come true. He's just as good of a person as he is an actor."

New episodes of Dutton Ranch drop Fridays on Paramount+.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”