Daphnée Duplaix is opening up about joining CBS’s groundbreaking soap opera Beyond the Gates and the pressure she felt stepping into a leading role on the series.
In a recent interview on The Gatekeepers Podcast, Duplaix was asked whether the show, over a year in, has met her expectations.
Duplaix said that when she was cast as Nicole Richardson Dupree, she didn’t initially realize how central the role would be. “Because I literally had two pages of dialogue with not a lot of dialogue,” she explained, noting that auditions can often include longer monologues.
She said she only learned of the full scope of the role shortly before filming began, “When I came to Atlanta for my first fitting, which was probably a month before we started shooting, I’m sitting with [Executive Producers] Julie Hanan Carruthers and Sheila Ducksworth, and they ask ‘do you know anything about the story yet?’”
After telling them she had only seen limited material, Duplaix said the producers outlined the storyline. “They start running it down, and I’m like, ‘This is my show,’” she recalled.
Duplaix added that she was more accustomed to supporting roles on her previous soap operas Passions and One Life to Live, “That’s what I’ve been used to on the two soaps I was on,” she said.
She embraced the challenge, recognizing the responsibility that came with it. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is on our shoulders,’” she said, adding, “It’s a heavy load, but we love what we do, and we’re so proud of what we’re doing.”
Duplaix described the experience as “powerful,” pointing to the show’s impact and storytelling. “We want it to succeed, not just because we’re at the top of the call sheet, but knowing what this show is doing for people, the storylines are so deep and raw and real, rooted in reality,” she said.
She also highlighted what she sees as a key difference behind the scenes: a more balanced distribution of storylines. “I was talking to somebody the other day explaining how I feel like everybody has a strong storyline, which is generally not the case. You have your main characters and all your secondaries and the secondaries are just floaters. But on this show, everybody’s important and I love that.”
You can listen to Duplaix full interview on The Gatekeepers Podcast here.
Beyond the Gates airs new episodes weekdays on CBS and weeknights on Paramount Plus. Viewers can watch episodes from the beginning on Paramount Plus or on Pluto TV’s dedicated 24/7 Beyond the Gates FAST channel.
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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