Why The Actor Who Plays Yellowstone's Monica Looks So Familiar

The neo-western drama "Yellowstone" quickly became a cultural phenomenon when it premiered on Paramount+ back in 2018. While fans will no doubt be disappointed that the show's fifth season is its final one, the good news is that the franchise at large isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Two spinoff series have already been released, with two more currently in the works. Furthermore, a sequel series titled "The Madison" is coming down the pipeline as well.

Since the earliest days of "Yellowstone," one of the show's key players has been actor Kelsey Asbille. She stars as Monica Long Dutton, a Native American woman caught in the middle of the land dispute between the members of her reservation and the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, which she married into. In playing this role, Asbille has not only garnered plenty of mainstream attention, but also shared the screen with the likes of Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, and Kevin Costner, among others. Teasing what fans can expect from the final batch of episodes, Asbille told The Hollywood Reporter, "I think the way [series co-creator Taylor Sheridan] has crafted this ending is so perfect ... A deserved ending for all the characters."

All that being said, while "Yellowstone" has arguably been Asbille's biggest brush with the limelight, it certainly wasn't her first — and it certainly won't be her last. Not only does the 33-year-old's acting career date back to 2005, but she shows no signs of resting on her laurels anytime soon.

Kelsey Asbille's very first acting job saw her cast on the teen drama "One Tree Hill" when she was just a teenager herself. Asbille (credited as Kelsey Chow) played Gigi Silveri, the one-time girlfriend of Marvin "Mouth" McFadden (played by Lee Norris). While "One Tree Hill" ran for a total of nine seasons from 2003 to 2012, Asbille was only involved in the show from 2005 to 2009. She played Gigi in a recurring capacity in Seasons 3, 4, and 6.

Earlier this year, Deadline broke the news that Netflix is currently developing a "One Tree Hill" reboot, with original series stars Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush set to executive produce, as well as reprise their roles as Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis, respectively. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Asbille admitted she has no idea if Gigi will make an appearance in the reboot, but still fondly remembers her time on the original show.

"I just did [Burton and Bush's] podcast actually," she said. "I mean, I looked up to [them]. I was 13, they were 24, I looked up to those girls — still do — so much. ... I'm really excited for them. And yeah, 'One Tree Hill' will always mean so much to me."

Asbille's first main role on a TV series was on the Disney XD sitcom "Pair of Kings," which aired from 2010 to 2013. Again credited as Kelsey Chow, she played female lead Mikayla Makoola in all three seasons of the show, starring opposite Mitchel Musso, Doc Shaw, and Adam Hicks (the latter of whom replaced Musso in the third season). However, this actually wasn't Asbille's first experience in the world of Disney TV.

Asbille had previously made a one-off appearance in an episode of Disney Channel's "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" in 2008. She also starred in the Disney Channel original movie "Den Brother" in 2010. In that film, Asbille played Matisse Burrows, the love interest of main protagonist Alex Pearson. Coincidentally, Alex was portrayed by Hutch Dano, who starred opposite the aforementioned Adam Hicks on Disney XD's "Zeke and Luther" from 2009 to 2012.

During her time on "Pair of Kings," Asbille also got a few big-screen appearances under her belt. In 2012, she had a minor role in the superhero flick "The Amazing Spider-Man," briefly sharing the screen with Andrew Garfield. One year later, she had another minor role in the romantic drama "The Wine of Summer," appearing alongside a pre-"Star Trek" Ethan peck.

A few years before landing her main role on "Yellowstone," Asbille had a recurring role on the MTV supernatural drama "Teen Wolf." Asbille appeared throughout the show's fifth and penultimate season from 2015 to 2016. She played Tracy Stewart, a young chimera (that is, a human who's been artificially given supernatural DNA). Shortly after her time on "Teen Wolf" ended, she appeared opposite Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan's 2017 crime film "Wind River." This is one of the earliest projects in which she's actually credited as Kelsey Asbille.

Later, in 2020, Asbille had a recurring role in the fourth season of FX's anthology crime drama series "Fargo." The fourth season of "Fargo" premiered just one month after "Yellowstone" wrapped up its third season on Paramount+, so Asbille was certainly keeping busy during that time. On "Fargo," she portrayed an outlaw by the name of Swanee Capps.

"She may not be a good [outlaw] but she's committed," Asbille said of the role while speaking with Columbia Metropolitan in late 2020. "'Fargo' really is one of the best experiences I've ever had. I'm such a big fan of Chris Rock, and he's tremendous in this."