Lainey Wilson has always been a passionate singer, but when she received the call to appear on the hit show Yellowstone, she was thrilled to join the show and add acting to her list of accomplishments. However, just as she was about to begin filming her debut role, tragedy struck her family.
Her father became gravely ill, and Lainey found herself questioning whether she should continue with her acting debut or not.
“In the middle of filming of Yellowstone, my daddy was in the hospital, and he was in ICU,” she said on the Dutton Rules podcast. “He spent two months in ICU in Houston, fighting for his life. The doctors told us he’s not gonna make it, there’s a big chance he’s not gonna make it.”
As she sat in the hospital, watching her father fight for his life, Lainey was unsure of what to do. She couldn’t imagine leaving him and her family in such a difficult time.
However, her father surprised her with his strength and selflessness. He told her that she had to go, that her work was important, and that she shouldn’t come back until it was done.
“He woke up just in time before I had really made up my mind and he said ‘I don’t care if it was my funeral, if you gotta job that needs to be done you’d better go do it and not come back until it’s done.’ I had to pull up my bootstraps,” she said, according to Outsider.
Feeling bound by her father’s words, Lainey threw herself into her role on Yellowstone. She was nervous, but said the cast and crew were supportive and kind, checking in with her every day and lifting her up during difficult times.
“Every day we were on set they were wanting updates about, ‘How’s your daddy doing? We’re praying. We’re lifting him up,'” she explained. “Every single person just came up to me and was loving on me as much as they could. That’s truly, I think, what also gave me the strength to keep on pushing through.”
As filming progressed, Lainey found herself faced with another challenge: her first onscreen kiss. Her co-star Ian Bohen was a seasoned pro, but Lainey was new to the scene.
“He clearly knew this was my first rodeo and I knew it was not his,” Wilson explained on the Dutton Rules podcast.
Even though she was nervous and overwhelmed, Ian’s professionalism and kindness helped put her at ease. They discussed the scene together, and Lainey made sure to lay down some ground rules, including one very important one: no tongue.
“I did lay some ground rules. I was like, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do this, and don’t do this.’ And he was like, ‘Whatever makes you feel comfortable,'” Wilson said. “I was like, ‘Do not put your tongue in my mouth.’ I told him that. ‘Do not do that.'”
Despite her nerves, Lainey was able to deliver a convincing and heartfelt performance. Her passion for music and acting shone through, and she left the set feeling proud and fulfilled.
“[Bohen] made me so comfortable,” she said. “It wasn’t like a real-life kiss.”
In the end, Lainey’s experience on Yellowstone taught her a valuable lesson about the power of perseverance and the importance of family.
She learned that sometimes, even in the face of tragedy, we must push ourselves to pursue our dreams and passions. And with the support of those we love, we can achieve anything.