Kelsey Asbille's career hit a major turning point when "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan cast her in his 2017 murder mystery film "Wind River." The film deals with the high rate of murder and sexual assault inflicted upon Indigenous women, an issue that's very important to Sheridan and has also been discussed in "Yellowstone." He wrote the film to raise awareness of the problem, he told NPR.
Asbille played Natalie Hanson, a Native American woman whose death from exposure is being investigated by Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent whose daughter was friends with Natalie and died under similar circumstances, and FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), who has jurisdiction over murder cases on Native American reservations.
The role called for Asbille to act in a stomach-turning rape scene. It's hard to watch, but Asbille told Nylon that she felt cared for while filming the scene. "I was incredibly nervous. But when we shot, it was a closed set, everyone was incredibly respectful," she said. "Everyone did their best to make the set feel like a comfortable environment, and everyone shared a desire to really do it right. By the end of it, I felt confident in how it was represented."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
