Getting his start on MTV’s The Real World set actor Mike Manning’s trajectory in life in a forward motion as the actor found his voice and began his journey as a human rights advocate fighting for LGBTQIA matters. Now Manning finds himself in a front burner romance on the CBS Daytime Drama Beyond the Gates where his character has challenged preconceived notions for gay characters on television.
Manning recently spoke with Instinct Magazine about his experience working on the new soap opera. Discussing what the character of Smitty means to him, Manning shared, “It’s the first time that I’ve ever played one half of a biracial gay couple with two adopted kids. It was an exciting role for me. I think that representation matters. The power of television is that people invite you into their homes or onto their phones to digest the show. They invite you to be a part of their lives. When you’re able to play characters that allow a wide range of people to see themselves in those characters, I think it’s powerful. Then for other people you’re just opening them up to new ideas, new ways of thinking. That’s also powerful. I’ve been having such a blast playing Smitty. The show itself is groundbreaking. It’s the first new soap opera in 25 years. Importantly, it’s also the first hourlong soap ever that has centered around a black family from its inception. There was Generations back in 1989 that included a black family, but this is the first of its kind that has centered around the nucleus of the entire show is a black family. That in and of itself is groundbreaking. So, to be a part of the show and then to be playing the character that I’m playing it’s been a really wonderful experience for me.”
Reflecting on what he loves about the character of Smitty, Manning shared, “I think with Smitty the thing I like about him is that he breaks expectations of gender roles. Because one minute he will be playing basketball or in the gym with his husband and they’re sort of participating in more masculine seeming activities and then the next episode Smitty’s wearing an apron having just made dinner and I love that because you know I love playing sports and I also love cooking and I think that um for a long time uh especially in America I think that men have been prescribed to certain gender activities, and this show is also breaking that. Smitty is an ex-investigative journalist, so he has that going for him as well. He likes to be the dad, and be a good father to his kids. He wants to be a figure at home, but in the show, he’s itching to go back to work. He’s itching to get back into politics and into journalism, so that’s also a fun aspect of Smitty that I get to play. I see him as like a younger Anderson Cooper.”
Manning also shared his hopes for what the audience would get out of his performance on the soap opera, sharing, “I hope queer audiences just feel seen in the characters of Smitty and Martin. I hope that they realize that they are just as deserving as a loving committed, somewhat dramatic, but the same type of relationship that we’ve seen for so many years with straight couples on television. Now we’re seeing it with queer couples and I’m just happy to be a part of that.”
Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS at 2 p.m. ET, and streams weekdays on Paramount+.
