Who does Clifton Davis play in Beyond the Gates? Character arc, explored 

Praises are now being showered upon Beyond The Gates for its spectacular popularity that has been generated in a remarkably short period of time. Beyond The Gates is a daytime soap opera on CBS that has the African-American community at its forefront. The narrative of Beyond the Gates is centered around the aristocratic and affluent Dupree family, led by Vernon Dupree. Veteran television actor Clifton Davis is playing the role of the family patriarch, Vernon Dupree.

Much of the storyline of Beyond the Gates is situated against the backdrop of the lavish Dupree family mansion where Vernon Dupree lives with his wife, Anita, and their children, Nicole and Dani. The family lives at Fairmont Crest, which is a high-profile gated community. As revealed in Beyond the Gates, the character of Vernon Dupree is a former senator who commands respect and admiration from everyone around him.

Here's everything that we know about the character arc of Vernon Dupree, as played by Clifton Davis on the CBS show.

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Who is Vernon Dupree from Beyond the Gates?

As mentioned earlier, Vernon Dupree is a former senator and the head of the Dupree family. He is like a ruling patriarch and leads his family like royalty. The premiere episodes of the CBS show present Vernon as a kind and benevolent man who has compassion for others. He has been living at Fairmont Crest with his family for a long time, for it is his father who had built the sprawling gated estate.

Clifton Davis recently spoke to AOL about the character of Vernon Dupree. When asked about the characteristics, Davis answered:

"He’s humble, even though he’s reached many heights in politics and in society. He’s a strong man. He doesn’t have to push. He doesn’t have to scream and yell. He’s a loving, tender father and husband. He’s mad about his wife and he’s mad about his children and his grandchildren and he’ll do anything to protect them.”

Davis also added that landing this character has seemingly given him a great creative impetus. He remarked:

"It has taught me that I can still deliver. ... That’s all I ever wanted was the work. The other stuff is nice. It’s extra, though, because the real joy is doing it."

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Showrunners open up about Beyond the Gates

This is the first time that an hour-long daytime show has the African American community at its epicenter. The last time this happened was almost thirty years ago in 1989 with a half-hour NBC show called Generations. The new CBS show has been created by Michele Val Jean while Sheila Ducksworth and Julie Carruthers serve as the executive producers.

Speaking in a special feature by Entertainment Tonight, Ducksworth and Val Jean expressed themselves in terms of the show's significance. Ducksworth noted:

"We're the two first Black female executive producers in daytime television for a soap opera."

Val Jean further added:

"Sheila said she wanted to make the soap about a family that lived in a gated community, so I just started thinking about characters and how to populate it and who they were and how they connected."

Beyond the Gates is exclusively available on CBS.