Clifton Davis Recalls Impactful 'Beyond the Gates' Scene With Tamara Tunie
- - Clifton Davis Recalls Impactful 'Beyond the Gates' Scene With Tamara Tunie
Johnathon KornbleeJanuary 2, 2026 at 12:27 AM
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Paramount Press
As Beyond the Gates wraps its inaugural season on CBS, members of the cast are reflecting on the show’s first year on the air. Clifton Davis, who portrays Vernon Dupree,recently shared a heartfelt behind-the-scenes story about his connection with Tamara Tunie, who plays his on-screen love interest, Anita Dupree.
Davis shared the story in a video posted to Beyond the Gates’ official Instagram account. In the clip, the actor recalled a moment from The Articulettes storyline, when Anita tells Vernon she is preparing to leave town to rehearse with the group.
“Her luggage is by the door and suddenly he realizes he’s going to be alone,” Davis explained. “He looks at her, and he has to tell her how much he’s going to miss her and how much he loves her.”
Davis noted that the scene unexpectedly mirrored his real-life feelings toward Tunie at the time. “All of the sudden this feeling came up in me like I’m really going to miss her. She’s going to be gone for weeks.”
“A kind of truth came over me in that moment,” Davis continued. “I looked at her and I said you just mean so much to me, and I’m gonna miss you so much, and I gave her this big ol kiss.”
The actor added with a laugh that he had to keep things in check, joking, “I had to be very careful, because, I’m a married man.”
Tunie responded in the same video, reminding viewers of the professional nature of the moment. “We’re acting people,” she said. “We’re acting.”
Daphnée Duplaix, who plays Vernon and Anita’s daughter Nicole, also chimed in, noting that Tunie was indeed leaving for another project at the time. “Added to that you were actually going to be gone for weeks,” Duplaix said.
Davis agreed, concluding that the emotional weight of the scene came from its real-life timing. “Yeah that’s the point, she was gone for a couple of weeks and yeah I missed her,” he said. “But, yeah I gave her a big ole kiss, and yeah it was impactful.”
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Beyond the Gates Season 1 is streaming now on Paramount +, as well as Pluto TV’s dedicated 24/7 Beyond the Gates FAST channel.
Beyond the Gates Season 2 premieres January 2, 2026 on CBS, new episodes air weekdays with episodes airing weeknights on Paramount+.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
