From “Real World” to “Beyond the Gates:” Out actor Mike Manning’s trailblazing role
BY VICTOR MELAMED | PHOTO BY PAUL SMITH
Mike Manning is stepping into a groundbreaking role on “Beyond the Gates,” the first new hour-long soap in 25 years and the first to center on a Black family from its inception.
Manning’s character, “Smitty,” breaks new ground as a biracial gay man married to a Congressman, raising two children—a first for network daytime drama. “I love CBS for doing that,” Manning shares, clearly thrilled by the historical significance.
Manning, a Daytime Emmy winner for “The Bay,” is no stranger to the fast-paced world of soaps, having also worked on “Days of Our Lives.” He marvels at the demanding schedule of “Beyond the Gates,” where an episode is shot daily with minimal takes. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for daytime actors,” he states.
His diverse career, spanning reality TV (“MTV’s The Real World”) to primetime dramas (“This Is Us”), has honed his acting approach. “Acting is acting regardless of the format,” he emphasizes, focusing on believability and vulnerability. While he appreciates his “Real World” experience, he values his privacy too much to revisit reality TV.
Beyond acting, Manning has also embraced producing. The contrast is stark: “In front of the camera, I try to stay relaxed, present… As a producer, I’ll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off.”
As a bisexual man, Manning acknowledges facing professional challenges due to his identity, having “100% lost out on roles because of my sexuality in the past.” However, his openness has also fostered meaningful connections within the LGBTQ+ community, leading to exciting collaborations.
Reflecting on his career, “Cloud 9” marked a turning point, opening doors to bigger opportunities. “This Is Us” brought widespread acclaim, even impressing his parents. Recent roles have pushed his boundaries, from a naked shower scene in “The Way Out”—for which he gained 14 pounds through boxing training—to playing a demon-possessed character in “The Bell Keeper.”
Manning finds inspiration in a wide array of filmmakers, citing visionaries like Wes Anderson, Ridley Scott, and Steven Spielberg, and expressing current admiration for RaMell Ross.
Looking ahead, Manning just wrapped filming “Eyes in the Trees” in Thailand with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a role vastly different from Smitty.
He teases more details to come on his Instagram, @mike_manning_.
