Yellowstone's Sarah Atwood Is Seriously Stunning In Real Life

The formidable Sarah Atwood in Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" takes villain to a whole new level. Atwood's ruthless, Trojan-horse-like attempts to take down the Dutton dynasty is why actor Dawn Olivieri is on the long list of the most memorable ladies of the "Yellowstone" universe — all of whom are beautiful with or without makeup. Sarah's icy character is usually mirrored in her look, often dressing like she's on her way to a funeral. In real life, however, actor Olivieri is jaw-droppingly glamorous. 

Similar to how the actor playing Beth Dutton is different from her character when cameras are off, Olivieri is the antithesis of her "Yellowstone" character. Olivieri normally rocks the red carpet in sunning gowns and wavy hair falling far past her shoulders — as opposed to Sarah's dark, long bob. Additionally, Olivieri is a bit of a rancher. In photos on her Instagram, the actor often sports a pair of blue jeans and a cowboy hat. 

And while Olivieri is comfortable in the villain role, she's finding more of a correlation between her own life and her "good guy" roles. "I feel like art imitates life in a lot of ways ... " she told The Hollywood Reporter, noting that she's in charge of the Moon Mountain Sanctuary and Rescue, where she liberates horses waiting to be slaughtered in kill pens. Olivieri later added, "So anyone who loves 'Yellowstone' is going to be real disappointed to explore me as a real human being! I'm a savior of horses and of animals, and I'm a really good person in real life."

Dawn Olivieri has been somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades in the "Yellowstone" universe, or as Taylor Sheridan calls her, a "Swiss army knife." "He'll text me and say, 'Yo, Swiss Army knife. I need ya.' And I say, 'Reporting for duty,'" Olivieri told The Hollywood Reporter. "My last text to him was literally, 'You tell me what and where, and I'm there.' And that's it, that's my response. Another show, another day, another character."

The "Yellowstone" actor may look familiar, if you're an über-fan of the franchise. Olivieri starred as Claire Dutton, an ancestor of the Dutton family, in Sheridan's "1883." Like her "Yellowstone" character, Claire didn't make it out alive. Not to fret; Olivieri has a role in the Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman series "Lioness" — another Sheridan brainchild that premiered in 2023. Olivieri joined in Season 2, and she teased her "Lioness" role as U.S. Army Sergeant Major Amber Whalen on Instagram by quoting one of Sarah Atwood's most famous "Yellowstone" lines, with a twist: "Lions don't die of old age. Lions die in the jaws of a #lioness." Olivieri added in the caption, "A good villain never stays dead for long."