Beyond the Gates will welcome Bryton James (Devon Winters) and Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) from The Young and the Restless on Wednesday, November 4, for another crossover between the two CBS soaps.
In the story, Devon revisits his music-producing days when he joins The Articulettes, the group led by Anita Williams Dupree (Tamara Tunie), as they head back into the studio to record an EP. “Lily grew up loving the Articulettes and begged Devon to bring her along, and Devon is really nice and brings her,” says James.
This marks James’ third trip to Fairmont Crest, and he’s happy to return. “It’s a privilege to be asked back anytime,” he says. “We had a lot of fun the first two times, and it’s great to bring the Y&R universe over there and get to experience being on that set. It’s a whole new, fresh environment.”
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The show makes each visit an occasion to remember. “My second time, when we went out for the big tornado [which filmed in January], the stuff that they built on set, the spread of food they had for us, they really go all out, and they did the same thing this time,” he shares. “We got to film in a real recording studio on location.”
For Khalil, it was her first time filming BTG, and she came away with a great impression. “I loved it,” she raves. “I had a great time, and everyone was so sweet and amazing. It was a really good energy on set, and it was fun to be on location in the recording studio. So, it was really nice.”
Although it was a different set, a familiar face helped make the experience feel even more comfortable. “It was like being back home a little bit, too, because we had Stephen Williford as our director,” notes James. “He was our director at Y&R for years.”
The script is sprinkled with Genoa City references, including Lily’s kids, Mattie and Charlie Ashby, and Devon and Lily’s father, the late Neil Winters, who was played by Kristoff St. John, which the actors appreciated.
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“In the writing, they do a good job at cross-referencing our show,” noted James. “You just see they really did their homework. Fans who are familiar with our show and have now included Beyond the Gates in their schedule have some familiarity in what we’re saying and mixing the universes together. We got to reference and talk about Neil and the relationship with Anita Dupree. She was his favorite artist, so the dialogue keeps it familiar.”
The nods to Neil are particularly special to James and Khalil. “I love it,’ says Khalil. “They always do a really good job of every year, doing some type of tribute towards him, and to see it continue on another show is amazing.”
Adds James, “Kristoff is a television legend and a CBS legend, so I think it’s an incredible gesture, and for them to continue his story and his life as much as they can.”
Khalil also enjoyed the opportunity to work with Clifton Davis (Vernon Dupree). “It was fun to hear his stories and get to know his history,” she shares. “We had a lot of fun. He thought I was hilarious. I’m a little rambunctious on set, so people are always like, ‘Oh, that was fun.’”
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For James and Khalil, who first met as children on the sitcom Family Matters, then developed a deeper connection in Genoa City, still sharing the screen means a lot.
“I thought I’d never see him again,” admits Khalil. “And then on Y&R, I mean, I definitely didn’t think I’d be on this show for that long. I thought I’d be here for three years and I would be gone. I didn’t think that it would be, almost 25 years later, so it’s kind of crazy.”
Their years of working together have also made it easier to connect on screen. “When we have a scene where it’s just the two of us, it just feels like we’re talking in real life,” explains Khalil. “There is no trying to think about the scene. It just kind of happens because there’s so much history there. We don’t have to try to foster the connection. The connection is just there.”
“There’s nobody I feel more comfortable with on a set than her, and it makes it even more like home,” reflects James. “And it’s easy to get emotional, too. If I’m seeing her sad or cry or anything like that, it’s really easy to have that come up in myself.”
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Having spent decades on daytime, James and Khalil are particularly happy to see the new soap thriving. “I love it because it’s good for the genre,” notes Khalil. “For so long, a lot of us have thought that we’re a dying breed, and you kind of realize, ‘Oh, wow, we’re not.’ Our ratings are higher than most primetime shows you see, and the fact that CBS has spent the money to do another soap opera just shows that this medium is not dying, and people are still really invested and love it. And so, for me, it’s inspiring, and it makes me happy.”
And the two wouldn’t mind seeing the crossover go both ways. “I’m waiting for them to bring some characters over to Y&R from Beyond the Gates,” says James. “Anita Dupree for sure. And Hayley [Lawson, Marquita Goings], who [Y&R‘s] Kyle [Abbott, Michael Mealor] kissed during the tornado. She needs to come and find Kyle.”
James delivers his tune-in pitch with a wink. “It’s going to be the best episode of this year because we’re on it,” he says. “And if you like Young the Restless, if you like Lily and Devon, if you want to see something new, tune in. It’s going to be great. And if you want to see more, keep telling CBS that you want to see more of it.”
Beyond the Gates, Weekdays, CBS, Check Local Listings
