Unlike other shows that make gay characters solely or mostly about their coming out journey and the road to acceptance from family and friends, Beyond the Gates has taken a different road. Mike Manning, who plays Smitty, is a married husband with kids to Congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon). There's conflict between the two, and on Thursday's episode, Smitty is going to confront his husband. Manning sat down with Soap Central to preview the showdown.
Digging for the Truth
"I really love the family dynamic that the show is building between Martin and Smitty," Manning tells Soap Central. "But of course, when you set up paradise, you always have to have some drama and problems. In this case, it's that Martin is not being honest with Smitty. He's hiding it from him."
Fortunately for Smitty — and perhaps, unfortunately, for Martin — Smitty's a trained investigative journalist. "He's not really the right person to try to hide something from," Manning says with a wry smile. "This is going to cause Smitty to dig and dig and dig until he finds the truth. We'll see if their relationship is affected by that."
His Wicked DAYS in Salem
Manning brings some soap opera experience to Beyond the Gates. He played bad guy Charlie Dale on Days of our Lives, and he won a Daytime Emmy in 2021 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Fiction Program for playing Caleb McKinnon on The Bay.
A Whole New World
Manning is pleased that Beyond the Gates is showing diversity with his and Claybon's character. "In 2025, families come in all shapes and sizes and I think having the kids be a bit older allows them to interact with us and the other characters in the show in a different and much more mature way," the actor says, referring to Smitty and Martin's twins, Samatha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Mill).
"This is very different for me because I've never played a dad," Manning says, "A married character who's a member of the LGBT community with two adopted teenagers. One of the beautiful things about television is people are inviting you into their homes. For a soap, it's every weekday."
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"One of the things that I'm most proud of being Beyond the Gates is that Michele Val Jean [creator/executive producer/head writer], Sheila Ducksworth [executive producer], and Julie Hannan Carruthers [executive producer] have all chosen to make the cast [and characters] reflective of a 2025 world and allow more soaps fans to see themselves in these characters. The show has not shied away from that and has included people from all ages, races, and socioeconomic classes and sexualities."
Catch all-new episodes of Beyond the Gates on CBS and Paramount Plus
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