Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Stars Open Up About How They Landed the Lead Roles of the Duprees
When you set out to launch the first network television daytime drama in over 25 years, and one that will be forever historic featuring a central and wealthy Black family at its epicenter, with predominantly an all-Black cast, you know that casting the key roles is of utmost importance. Such is the case with CBS’ new soap opera, Beyond the Gates.
When the series premieres on February 24 at 2PM ET/1PM PT on the CBS television network and streaming on Paramount+, viewers will be introduced to the Dupree family and the drama that ensues, and of course, the soapy tangled web they weave.
Beyond the Gates is the brainchild of noted soap opera writer, Michele Val Jean and CBS Studios/NAACP venture’s Sheila Ducksworth, and after the series was given the green light, the casting process began to fill the roles of the matriarch and patriarch, Anita and Vernon Dupree, and their two daughters, Dani and Nicole.

Photo: CBS
During a media press conference which included Michael Fairman TV, the stars of the series, Karla Mosley (Dani), Tamara Tunie (Anita), Clifton Davis (Vernon) and Daphnee Duplaix (Dr. Nicole Duplaix Richardson) spoke to how they landed their roles on the series; after Fairman asked about the road that led them to Beyond the Gates. Here’s what each had to share below.
KARLA MOSLEY (ex-Maya, B&B and ex-Christina, GL): “I have been friends with Michelle Val Jean since working on The Bold in The Beautiful. She was always saying, ‘You know, I’d love to rope you in on something.’ But, of course you hear that in the industry time and time again. Then, I saw her at her belated birthday party last spring, and she said, ‘It’s happening. Karla, it’s really happening.’ I was just over the moon for her and so excited. Then she said, ‘It’s shooting in Atlanta.’ I was like, ‘I’m not moving to Atlanta.’ However, a couple months later they sent a script. I read the script and I read Dani. I texted her and I was like, ‘Michelle! I think it’ll be fun because she’s a departure from anything I’ve played before, and that’s really exciting.”‘

Photo: CBS
TAMARA TUNIE (ex-Jessica, ATWT): “At the end of August/early September, I got a call from my rep saying there is a new African-American soap that they’re going to be shooting in Atlanta, and they’d like to offer you the role of the matriarch. I said, ‘Let me read something and then let me sleep on it.’ I woke up the next morning and what was uppermost in my mind was the historic nature, and the glass-ceiling breaking of this project. An affluent African-American family leading a daytime drama for the first time in history was enticing to me. Michele Val Jean sent a lovely little note along with that invitation to join a Zoom call with her and Sheila Ducksworth to get more insight, and for me to also share what was going on in my life right now. Michele and Sheila told me about where the story was going, who my character was, and what was she’s involved with, her history, etc. In the end, I said, ‘If we can work around those things that I have on my calendar, then we can continue this conversation. And so we did, and over a period of time, we came to an agreement.”
Tunie was also instrumental in the casting her leading man, Clifton Davis. She explained, “I sent an email to Michelle and Sheila and said, ‘By the way, I just spent five days with Clifton Davis and Winston Salem international Black Theater Festival. If you’re still talking to him about (taking on the role of) Vernon Dupree, just know we’ve connected. We are friends, we’ve got a nice chemistry, and I’m just throwing it out there. A week or so later, Clifton and I did a camera test together over Zoom, which was fun and the next morning he was Papa Dupree!”

Photo: CBS
CLIFTON DAVIS: “It was in June that my agents called me and said, ‘We just got an availability check to see if you would be interested in doing a daytime drama?’ I had a career of 40, 50 years of primetime television. That being said, I had looked at this and thought, ‘Let them know that I will be available,’ because I had been sitting on my sofa in Florida, and other than that playing golf, I was going crazy, missing work and I just loved to work. I was so grateful to getting the call. They said, ‘We’ll be back in touch with you.’ So, another month went by and another month, and I said, ‘This ship has sailed.’ However, my agents found out that I was still in the running for the part. Then, I heard from Tamara Tunie, and she talked about how she was being offered the role of Anita. As it turns out, a couple weeks later, I did get that call that for the chemistry read with her. I genuinely admire and respect Tamara, and she feels the same way about me. That’s how I got into being on Beyond the Gates. I’m just proud to be here.”
DAPHNEE DUPLAIX (ex-Valerie, Passions, and ex-Rachel, OLTL): “My manager actually had a little birdie tell her about this series getting the green light, right around the summer. She was like, ‘I think this part, it’s yours. I can just feel it’. I was like, ‘OK,’ because of course, that’s what all agents and managers tell you. Then it was the same story for me as Clifton. I hadn’t heard anything. At the end of August, I get the audition. I put myself on tape, and it included two scenes. However, the next day, they asked, ‘Do you have your soap opera reel? We need it right now!’ I was like, ‘No, I don’t. It’s been years, but let me throw something together really quickly.’ So, I did and then I didn’t hear anything. I felt like I was being tortured… every week, every Friday hit, and still I heard nothing. Then one day, my manager sends me a text and he said, ‘Pop a bottle! It’s yours.’ When I really thought about the magnitude of what we were creating with Beyond the Gates, and what Sheila Ducksworth and Michelle Val Jean had put together, I was like, ‘Oh, my God! This is really big.’ I’ve just been so excited and so proud to be a part of this groundbreaking show.”
So, what do you think about the casting of Karla Mosley, Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis and Daphnee Duplaix as daytime drama’s newest major on-screen family? Excited to see their performances when Beyond the Gates makes it debut? Comment below. But first, in case you missed it, check out the most recent extended promo for the series.
Can’t wait for the premiere! The cast sounds fantastic. Clifton Davis is one of my favorites. I saw him on Broadway in “Two Gentlemen from Verona” when I was a teen.
Beyond the Gates
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Scores Third Most-Watched Week Since Its Premiere With ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover Event

The tornado that ripped through Fairmont Crest and put the lives of the characters of Beyond the Gates and several from The Young and the Restless in jeopardy had viewers tuning-in for the week of June 8-12.
The highly-publicized crossover event kicked off on the Tuesday, June 9 episode of Beyond the Gates where six residents of Genoa City came to to visit the D.C./Maryland country club for a fundraiser for Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon), only no one expected a twister to tear into the proceedings, leading to several storylines intersecting as people were trapped with one another with Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle) being the most severely injured and now requiring a liver transplant to survive.
According to the ratings report from CBS and Nielsen ratings and as supplied to Variety, Beyond the Gates brought in on average 1.8 million viewers throughout the wee. That is up 11% from its season-to-date numbers and it makes the crossover/tornado episodes its third most-watched week for the soap since Beyond the Gates premiered back on February 24, 2025.

Photo: CBS
A GENOA CITY TOUCHDOWN
With the strength of the story, its special effects and bringing over cast of the top-rated, The Young and the Restless which included: Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), Michael Mealor (Kyle Abbott), Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott), Susan Walters (Diane Jenkins), Melissa Ordway (Abby Newman) and Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), the Thursday, June 11 episode was the week’s most-watched.
According to the numbers, the Wednesday June 10 episode brought in the most total viewers for the week with 1.87 million (up 17% week-to-week), followed closely by the Friday, June 12 episodes which had 1.84 million watching.

Photo: JPI
Over on The Young and the Restless, the week of June 8-12, also saw an increase based on the early return that week of Shemar Moore as Malcolm Winters wrapping up his leg of the story where viewers learned he had a son Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) with Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox), and survived his bone marrow transplant surgery thanks to Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn).
Y&R scored 3.11 million viewers for the week up 2% from its season average with the June 8 and June 9 episodes featuring Moore averaging 3.2 million viewers and up 9% year-over-year.
So, did you enjoy the tornado episodes of Beyond the Gates and seeing the residents of Genoa City crossover to Fairmont Crest? Share your thoughts via the comment section on the latest ratings for the two CBS daytime soaps.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Karla Mosley Weighs-in on Dani Dupree’s Love Life Endgame: Are You Team Bill or Team Andre?

Last week, viewers of CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates watched as a tornado ripped through Fairmont Crest. In its wake, people were trapped with one another or seriously injured.
For Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley), she found herself stuck in an elevator with her ex-husband, Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). And wouldn’t you know, one thing led to another, and the two gave into their unresolved feelings for one another and did the deed.
Meanwhile, Dani’s current husband, Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) suffered a minor injury to his leg, and was worried sick in the ballroom because he had no idea where Dani was after the twister decimated the place. Eventually, Dani and Bill part ways go back to their families and act like nothing happened.

Photo: CBS
When Dani is reunited with Andre, he professes his love for her even more than ever. As for Bill’s current wife Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings), she could care less because she was making out with Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor, Y&R) in a closet at the country club!
THE TORNADO MAY HAVE CHANGED DANI’S HEART
For months, Beyond the Gates viewers have found themselves torn; rooting for Dani and Bill to get over themselves and get back together, or rooting for Dani and Andre, because its clear he truly loves her, even though their marriage may not have started out as the greatest love affair of all time.
Karla Mosley opened up to PEOPLE on Dani’s romance plight and who the writers of the soap might ultimately pair her with, expressing “I cannot say. I honestly have no idea.”
As it seems now, this triangle of Andre/Dani/Bill is about to heat up even more following Dani’s elevator exploits. However, according to Mosley, the popularity of Dani and Andre came as surprise to the writers, which has led to the romantic drama. “The writers did not think Dani and Andre were gonna pop off the way that they did,” explained Karla. “Originally, they thought Bill and Dani would be back together by the end of season one. And then it was like, ‘wait, what is happening?’”

Photo: CBS
WRITERS ARE TAKING THE PULSE OF THE FANS
The decision to not have Dani and Bill reunite within season 1 or half-way though season 2, Mosley shares is a sign of the times: “The old soap trope is the torn woman who goes back to her man. But I think there are enough women now who are like, I want to see her win.”
In the end, Karla believes that in this case, fans speaking up, can also translate to the writers room and influence their potential decision of who should be the ultimate man for Dani. She tells Beyond the Gates viewers, “Keep talking about it, y’all.”
Meanwhile, questions remain: Could Dani and Bill’s elevator sex find her pregnant with his child, which would make this whole situation more messy? Stay tuned.
Now, let us know, who do you want to see Dani ultimately with … Bill Hamilton or Andre Richardson? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Beyond the Gates
Phillip Boyd Makes His Debut on ‘Beyond the Gates’ in Recurring Role of Dr. Miles Arnold

A new face emerged on today’s episode of CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when actor, Phillip Boyd made his debut in the recurring role of Dr. Miles Arnold.
In story, Dr Arnold is a doctor and surgeon and on the June 16 episode, Miles had to sadly deliver some disappointing new. Neither of Eva’s (Ambyr Michelle) parents, Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) or Leslie Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) is a donor match for the life-saving transplant surgery Eva desperately needs.
Eva, among others, was injured in the tornado that ripped through Fairmont Crest and its devastating aftermath. She sustained critical injuries during the storm and was trapped with her half-sister, Kat Richardson (Colby Nixon).

Courtesy/CBS
Phillip Boyd recently appeared on The McCord List, where he talked about his career between working in Los Angeles and Atlanta and said about his latest acting gig, “Dr, Miles Arnold works in the hospital. There’s something that happens, a natural disaster and a lot of the characters on the show are at this event and something tragic happens and they’re rushed to the hospital.”
The actor is also appearing in the final season of Tyler Perry’s Netflix series Beauty in Black where he shows up in 7 episodes. Boyd previously appeared in short term roles on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives. In primetime, he also played the role of Mitch on 90210 and played Oscar in Tyler Perry’s The Haves and Have Nots for five-seasons.
So, so you think Beyond the Gates might make Phillip Boyd’s role bigger over time on the soap? Will Kat be the match that Eva needs? If not, who? Many people were ruled out on today’s episode. Drop you thoughts and picks for the donor via the comment section.
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