If you love knowing what really goes on behind your favorite soaps, this one’s a treat. Two of the women shaping Beyond the Gates recently popped up on Soapy, and their conversation gave fans a lot to look forward to.
The Long Road That Led to Beyond the Gates
On Soapy, hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart, creator and executive producer Michele Val Jean looked back on the experiences that shaped her as a storyteller. Rebecca brought up one of daytime’s most unforgettable moments, the legendary Generations catfight between Maya and Doreen, played by Vivica A. Fox and Jonelle Allen. Val Jean shared that the scene involved a stunt coordinator, while she focused on writing the dialogue.
She laughed while recalling that the actors managed to finish the intense fight in just one take. According to her, they didn’t really have a choice because there was barely any set left by the end of it. The conversation then turned to Val Jean’s many years at General Hospital. She talked openly about the infamous Luke and Laura storyline and how, much later, she finally had the chance to revisit it properly.
Costumes, Roots, and Big Dreams Coming True
Costume designer Jeresa Featherstone Winfield also joined Soapy and shared her own journey. She talked about how costumes help tell a character’s story and reflected on her time at The Bold and the Beautiful, where she worked for exactly seven years and seven days and won three Daytime Emmys. Featherstone Winfield admitted that joining Beyond the Gates felt almost unreal at first. She explained that she had just gotten engaged when she learned the show would be filming in Atlanta.
At the same time, she and her partner were hoping to move closer to family in Maryland, Atlanta, and Virginia. When she found out the show was set in the DMV area, everything suddenly clicked. As someone from Prince George’s County who went to Bowie High School, she said the setting felt personal. She added that being part of a show right from the beginning is a dream for any costume designer. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Beyond the Gates interviews and updates.