RhonniRose Mantilla, the sun of” Beyond the Gates,” reveals her personal connection to the queer journey of the character.
Things got heated up in Fairmont Crest, the fictional town where the soap opera” Beyond the Gates” is set, last week when the lead character Chelsea Hamilton shared her first same-sex love scene with Dr. Madison Montgomery.
The actress who portrays the daughter of the famous Dani Dupree, RhonniRose Mantilla, has been” so sport for it” as she explores her own sexuality since Chelsea came out last month, when her sexuality has become a popular topic on the show.
The 25-year-old shampoo sun told the Hollywood Reporter,” I believe craft should reflect the current state.” ” And individually, I’m figuring out my otherness as well. Telling Chelsea’s account has been a really enjoyable journey, so far.
Through a collaboration between CBS and the NAACP,” Beyond the Gates” became the first fresh soap opera to feature Black figures in 35 years and as the first to feature Black figures since 1999. The story, which follows the popular and renowned Dupree and his family through life in a wealthy Maryland suburb outside of Washington, D.C., has been full of all kinds of dramatic twists and turns since its explosive debut episode.
When Mantilla first assumed the lead role, she wasn’t aware that Chelsea’s circle on the show, which has already seen the twenty-something leaving modeling to commence a handbag collection with her cousin, may have a queer plot.
She explained,” I knew that she was trying to find her own approach and find out her own path.” The conversation about her queerness didn’t really start until I met with [executive producers ] Julie] Hanan Carruthers ] and Sheila]Ducksworth ] in person.
The first on-screen intimacy scene between Chelsea and Madison ( Kenjah McNeil ) was for Mantilla, who initially described herself as “kind of terrified.”
She said,” The significance of this storyline kind of helped me get over my anxiety.” It’s not just sexual, but making love and making a relationship, according to the statement,” We haven’t seen this in nighttime before.”
Chelsea and Madison are joined by Bradley” Smitty” Smith and the ambitious representatives Martin Richardson, both of whom are the sons of Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson and Ted Richardson.
Mantilla emphasized the importance of the movie’s picture.
” Even someone who is trying to figure out their queerness you see Chelsea and Madison and been inspired to sit out loud or to jump on a bandwagon to people they’ve been eyeing for a while,” she said.
On CBS and available lived on Paramount + +,” Beyond the Gates” airs on weekdays at 2:00 p.m. E. T.
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Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://thegrio.com/2025/06/25/beyond-the-gates-pushes-boundaries-of-representation-with-same-sex-love-scene/
