Dawn Olivieri traded the bright lights and pressures of Los Angeles for a sprawling 160-acre ranch in rural Arkansas — and the Yellowstone star says the dramatic change has made her a “better human being.”
The 45-year-old actress, who has appeared in four Taylor Sheridan projects, left Los Angeles behind in 2022 after becoming disillusioned with Hollywood and the uncertainty of waiting for her next acting role.
Instead, she followed a dream that had been quietly calling to her for years: moving to the country and surrounding herself with animals.
Yellowstone star Dawn Olivieri left Los Angeles behind in 2022 for a 160-acre Dutton-style ranch in rural Arkansas and she’s never looked back
The 45-year-old actress bought a property outside of Mena, Arkansas and founded Moon Mountain Sanctuary and Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of horses and other animals like zebras, camels, sheep and dogs (Source: @dawnolivieri Instagram)
‘I Saw Through the Veil’
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Olivieri opened up about the period that led her to rethink her life.
She said she had gone through a dry spell in her acting career and became frustrated with the feeling of constantly waiting by the phone for someone to offer her a job.
“I didn’t have offers just like falling out of my phone,” she explained. “I went through a dry spell, and I was like, ‘Wow, so this is an illusion.’”
That realization forced Olivieri to take a closer look at what truly made her happy.
“I kind of saw through the veil,” she said. “And once I saw through [the] veil, I realized in that moment, I have to make some decisions about my life that make me happy.”
She began asking herself what she would do with her money if she became successful. The answer, she said, was simple.
“I would move to the country and have horses.”
“And so I did that with nothing,” she added. “Which wasn’t the dream part, but in actuality, it was what was always meant to happen because I moved toward my own authenticity.”
As Olivieri explained in an interview with Fox News Digital, she grew tired of the career dry spell and ‘waiting by the phone’ for acting roles on top of the superficial illusions of Hollywood (Source: @dawnolivieri Instagram)
Olivieri has been living in a camper on the property while she works to build and expand the ranch (Source: @dawnolivieri Instagram)
The star’s first role in a Taylor Sheridan project was the grief-stricken, widowed Claire Dutton in 1883 with Faith Hill (pictured) and Tim McGraw
in Yellowstone, she played the ruthless corporate lawyer and business strategist Sarah Atwood, who seduced Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley, pictured) into a romantic and political partnership with her and convinced him to turn against his own family
Olivieri currently stars as Jenna Ross in Homestead: The Series, a post-apocalyptic drama streaming on Angel Studios that follows a group of survivors struggling to rebuild their lives and defend their fortress in the Rocky Mountains in the chaotic aftermath of a nuclear attack
A New Life in Rural Arkansas
Olivieri purchased a property outside Mena, Arkansas, in 2022. The following year, she founded Moon Mountain Sanctuary and Rescue, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating animals.
The sanctuary is now home to hundreds of animals, including wild mustangs, burros, mares and foals, as well as bison, zebras, camels, goats, sheep and dogs.
In August, Olivieri gave Let’s Talk Local podcast host Sarah Zubirate Bennett a tour of the property and shared some of her ambitious plans for its future.
She said the ranch is undergoing renovations, including work on the main barn and plans for a welcoming outdoor space featuring benches, grass beneath the trees, a circular driveway and a fountain.
For now, Olivieri has been living in a Keystone RV Montana camper on the property while she continues building and expanding the sanctuary.
‘A Land of No Mirrors’
The actress says leaving Los Angeles has changed far more than just where she lives.
According to Olivieri, the move has helped her grow personally — and unexpectedly gave her career a boost as well.
“I became a better actress for sure,” she said. “I started working way more than I did when I was in LA waiting for the job, waiting for the call.”
She described her new home as “a land of no mirrors,” explaining that the ranch gave her the opportunity to focus less on appearances and more on who she was at her core.
“I went into a deep relationship with the core of my being versus what everything looked like, what I looked like,” she said, adding that she would recommend such a move to anyone.
From the Dutton Family to a New Chapter
Olivieri has become a familiar face in Taylor Sheridan’s television universe.
Her first role in one of his projects came in the Yellowstone prequel 1883, where she played Claire Dutton, the grief-stricken, widowed sister of James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw.
She later joined Yellowstone as Sarah Atwood, a ruthless corporate lawyer and business strategist who entered a romantic and political partnership with Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, and encouraged him to turn against his own family.
Olivieri also portrayed CIA Clandestine Services Targeting Officer Amber Whalen in Lioness and guest-starred as Ellen in the sixth episode of The Madison, playing the ruthless Manhattan boss of Paige McIntosh.
She currently stars as Jenna Ross in Homestead: The Series, a post-apocalyptic drama streaming on Angel Studios about survivors attempting to rebuild their lives and defend their fortress in the Rocky Mountains following a nuclear attack.
The show’s second season premiered on November 3 and is largely filmed in Utah.
In a recent interview with UPI, Olivieri said her character has evolved since the first season. She explained that Jenna had initially been overwhelmed by events happening around her and was often emotional and unable to do much — something Olivieri found frustrating.
For season two, she said she made a commitment to help Jenna “step into her power,” become stronger and take on more of a problem-solving role.
For Olivieri, however, her most meaningful transformation may have happened far away from a television set. After walking away from the exhausting uncertainty of Hollywood and embracing life on a ranch surrounded by rescued animals, she found a path that feels far more authentic — and one she says has made her a better person.