Piper Perabo notably joined the cast of “Yellowstone” for season four as the well-intentioned environmental activist. She stirred up drama between Beth and John Dutton after Beth discovers her in the kitchen, wearing only a shirt. And while the character of Summer may have spiced up the drama series, Perabo actually had a unique family connection to “Yellowstone” before joining the show.
In an interview with TV Line, Perabo says that she previously married producer/director Stephen Kay. He made his directorial debut in season two and has continued to work in the mix since. Perabo says reuniting for “Yellowstone” was incredibly fun.
When asked if he played a part in any of her season five scenes, Perabo had this to say:
“He did, we haven’t worked together in such a long time and it was so fun to work with him.”
Summer Higgin’s Biggest Challenges
She goes on to add that, “The last time we worked together was on Covert Affairs which is the opposite of Yellowstone – it was so fun to work together. And because he works on the show, I know the cinematographers, I know so many people on the crew. It was so fun to work with him and to work with so many friends, that was one of the highlights.”
In the season four finale, we learn that Summer’s latest arrest, orchestrated by Beth Dutton in a revenge move, could cost her life in prison. However, John talks to the judge and convinces him to lighten her sentence. A frightened Summer stands before the judge as he tells her she’s not after peace – that she, in fact, is an instigator. He originally implements a harsh sentence and we see Summer grapple with the idea of a life in prison.
However, it appears that her presence may be greater in season five. Whether she will continue to play John’s love interest is unknown, but the actress said she had a lot of fun filming.
“Just the fact that Summer’s on the ranch could spell trouble for the Duttons,” Perabo says “It’s going to get really dangerous.”
Piper Perabo on Joining ‘Yellowstone’
Before joining the cast and stirring up even more drama, Perabo also revealed that creator Taylor Sheridan specifically wrote the role of Summer Higgins just for her.
“I had a dinner with Taylor Sheridan, who writes Yellowstone, and his family, and it was after I had been part of a big protest,” Perabo told Taste of Country. “It came up at dinner. I had gotten arrested for civil disobedience at this protest, and [Sheridan] was really interested in that, and we started talking about… He kinda wanted to know all the nuts and bolts, and exactly how it works,” she continues.
She goes on to say, “That’s the kind of storyteller he is. He gets interested in something and just keeps digging and digging and digging. I’m a huge fan of the show, so I’ve been watching since the beginning,” Perabo reveals. “I felt really lucky, because I had seen the end of Season 3, where everybody is in danger, you know… Beth and Kayce and John, it seems like you could lose them all at the end of Season 3.”
