By Shelby Stewart ·Updated March 17, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Few characters on the new CBS daytime drama Beyond the Gates stir up quite as much chaos as Hayley Lawson Hamilton—the calculating outsider whose romance with her former best friend’s father rattles the show’s central family. Played by Marquita Goings, Hayley is the kind of character viewers love to hate: cunning, controversial and, by the end of the first season, revealed to be far more opportunistic than she first appears.
Marquita Goings as Hayley Hamilton in CBS’s Beyond the Gates, the cunning villain viewers love to hate. Credit: Rowan Daly Love to hate is exactly the point. But offscreen, the woman behind the chaos couldn’t be more different.
“I feel like naturally, as Marquita, I’m chill. Hayley and I are the complete opposite,” Goings tells ESSENCE with a laugh. “I was getting the scripts and I’m like, ‘Oh, she’s a savage.’ But tapping into that, I also want to honor people’s real lives, because for some, this is somebody’s real situation. There are scammers out there, and there are people who maybe didn’t have the right upbringing or who’ve faced situations that shape how they move. I still want to honor that.”
Honoring those realities, however, requires more than emotional range, it also demands stamina. Beyond The Gates, the popular Black soap on CBS, still in its early stages and recently renewed for a second season, is particularly demanding, as it continues to carve out its place in the larger zeitgeist of daytime television. The format has a long legacy — shows like General Hospital have aired since 1963, Days of Our Lives since 1965, and The Young and the Restless since 1973 — making Beyond The Gates one of the few new daytime dramas in decades.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 16: Marquita Goings attend The Black Excellence Brunch and “Beyond The Gates” screening and talk back at 42West on February 16, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) Like most soap operas, long hours and intense pacing are part of the job. According to Goings, the cast often shoots 40 to 50 pages a day—an intense pace that leaves little room for error, making both focus and resilience essential for bringing Hayley Hamilton to life.
Unlike most primetime television shows, daytime dramas operate at a relentless pace. According to Goings, the cast of Beyond the Gates often shoots 40 to 50 script pages a day, a stark contrast to the roughly 7 to 10 pages typically filmed for a one-hour network drama.
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“Some days, we’re shooting half a movie,” she says. “That’s a lot of dialogue, a lot of scenes, wardrobe changes. It’s made me a stronger actor because you have to take direction very quickly. We don’t have the luxury of doing a bunch of takes—we’re expected to get it on the first one.”
Strength, in Hayley’s case, often manifests as something darker. By the end of the show’s first season, the character’s intentions become increasingly clear. Deceptive and newly married to her former best friend’s father, Hayley is tangled in a web of her own making—her motives appearing tied more to money than romance.
Yet when Goings first signed on, she had no idea just how villainous Hayley would become.
What did catch her attention immediately, though, was the name attached to the audition: casting director Kim Coleman, whose credits include Lovecraft Country, Greenleaf and Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
“Kim Coleman is a huge casting director, and I have so much respect for her,” Goings says. “I’ve actually booked a few things through her—Woke being one of them—so when I saw her name, I knew I had to check it out.”
Marquita Goings as Hayley Hamilton in CBS’s Beyond the Gates, the cunning villain viewers love to hate. Credit: Rowan Daly That curiosity quickly turned into creative freedom. Goings says she enjoys playing Hayley precisely because the character is so unlike her in real life.
“I like that she’s somebody who isn’t like me,” she says. “It makes it feel like I’m truly playing. She gets to do whatever she wants, and I get to step into that world.”
Doing whatever she wants, of course, is exactly what makes Hayley such a compelling villain—and sometimes a lightning rod for viewers. Goings joked that friends warned her about the hazards of playing a soap antagonist, referencing a famous scene in the film A Low Down Dirty Shame where Jada Pinkett Smith punches a soap actor she blames for his character’s behavior.
“Some people don’t separate the character and the person,” Goings says with a laugh.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 16: Timon Kyle Durrett and Marquita Goings attend The Black Excellence Brunch and “Beyond The Gates” screening and talk back at 42West on February 16, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) Fortunately, Goings is no stranger to demanding roles. Before joining Beyond the Gates, the actress appeared in projects including Zatima and Woke.
But it was an intense theater experience that gave her the confidence she’d eventually need for daytime television.
Goings recalled being asked to replace a cast member in a touring play on short notice, giving her just two days to learn roughly 100 pages of dialogue.
“I stayed up overnight with someone running the lines,” she says. “When I got the pages down, I realized I could actually do something like that.”
That realization, she says, stayed with her when she stepped onto the set of Beyond the Gates—a show where speed, instinct and stamina are all part of the job.
Below, Goings talks with ESSENCE about stepping into Hayley’s chaos, navigating the fast-paced world of daytime television, and how wellness helps keep her grounded while playing one of daytime television’s most delicious villains.
ESSENCE: How do you mentally prepare to step into Hayley’s mindset before filming?
Goings: I will say I get up and say my prayers or meditate first—that always sets the tone for me. Then I like to come with a clean slate. My hair—I wash it for them, they braid it, put me in a wig. I do my normal skincare routine, which is very natural and simple.
But as I’m driving to set, I put on my rap music. If somebody could hear it, they’d be like, oh, I see—she’s playing trap music from the car.
ESSENCE: So, give me two or three songs you’re probably playing on the way to set.
Goings: Well, it depends on what Haley’s doing that day. So if Haley needs to be grimy and snappy with attitude or if she needs to talk to Randy, I will put on some young Jeezy. I love that. I love that from his Thug Motivation [album]. I’ll put on T.I., or maybe a City Girls vibe. There are a lot of times where Hayley has to play the victim, so then I’m going to my R&B. My emotional music. I have a whole playlist just for that.
ESSENCE: If you take one look at your Instagram, it’s clear you have a real passion for fashion. How do you express that personally versus on set? Or does Hayley ever wear pieces you’d rock yourself?
Goings: I do have some pieces that Hayley wears, because it really depends on the mood and where you’re going. For example, recently I went to a Time magazine event, so I dressed more classy, covered, and sleek—but I still wanted the fit to show shape. I like to feel beautiful and give some sex appeal, because, like you said, I’m curvy, and you only live once.
It’s interesting—you wear certain things when you’re younger and then transition as you get older. But I just love fashion. I love putting different pieces together and the way it makes me feel. I get so many compliments sometimes, and I even think, it’d be nice if I had time to come up with my own line of pieces. But really, I just love to express myself this way.
I think it comes from childhood. I have photos of my mom, and even though her style was very conservative—longer dresses and pantsuits—she had such an eye for fashion. I feel like I get that from her. She always dressed me cute, too.
ESSENCE: Wellness practices like yoga and herbal remedies are clearly important to you. How do these rituals influence your work as an actress?
Goings: I feel like wellness is everything, especially when you can be on set for over 10 hours. By the end of the day, you’re tired, and I may just want to relax or decompress. What helps me is leaving set, taking a shower, and then sitting in a sauna. It relaxes my muscles, is good for your skin, and is just great for overall health. I’ve read that sauna use can even help prolong your life, but for me, I love it because it relaxes me. After that, I can go to bed and sleep like a baby.
Exercise is another key piece. Working out gives me endurance and energy, especially on the long days when I might not have time to train beforehand or afterward. It keeps me alert and prevents me from feeling sluggish on set.
The biggest factor for me, though, is what I put into my body. I went vegan in 2017 and stayed vegan for a long time. Recently, I’ve started incorporating other dishes, like fish, and combining that with herbal teas and tinctures—it’s really shifted everything for me. It helps with energy, focus, even my skin, and yes, it can help with things like losing belly fat. Balance is always key for me, but I’ve been very disciplined when it comes to my wellness, especially with what I eat.
ESSENCE: It sounds like wellness isn’t just for you—it impacts the people around you as well. How has sharing your practices influenced your family and friends?
Goings: I love that. That is my every day. Outside of acting, I feel a part of my calling or purpose has to do with wellness and sharing it. Everyone around me—my family, my best friends—has changed their lifestyle because they noticed health issues and came to me. I love being that influence. Hearing that they feel better now just makes me so happy.
ESSENCE: How do you balance the intensity of filming a daily series with prioritizing your personal well-being?
Goings: It’s a bunch of things. I’m a mom first, and then there’s career and family. When my body tells me I need to rest or back up, I listen. I’ll go in my room and, if I need to take a nap, I’ll take a nap. Sometimes it also helps to be around people, so I’ll do that too. But I think the key is paying attention when your body gives you those signs—it always does.
ESSENCE: You mentioned earlier that wellness feels like part of your purpose and that you’ve even inspired friends and family to change their lifestyles. If you weren’t acting, what creative path do you think you would fully pursue?
Goings: I wouldn’t even say if I weren’t acting, because I’m doing it alongside acting. I’m currently in classes right now to become an herbalist, which is really exciting. It’s something I’ve already been practicing in my everyday life.
Now it’s about balancing the two. I want to be able to create things that help people. I get a lot of compliments on my skin, and people are always asking what I use, so I’ve been looking into creating skincare. And then internally, a lot of people deal with different ailments, and there are natural things I already use day to day.
Sometimes I’ll tell people, “You can use this herb or put these things together,” but not everyone has the time or the knowledge to go find those ingredients or formulate something themselves. I would love to do that for them, because I truly feel like that’s part of my purpose. As I gain more knowledge in this space, I want to be able to share it.
ESSENCE: What’s one thing fans might be surprised to learn about you outside of your work on screens?
Goings: Outside of my work on screen, I think fans would be shocked to know because, I mean, if they just watch Beyond the Gates, they’re like, “Oh, Hayley’s this whiny, she’s not going to do anything. Weak girl.” But outside of the show, I come from a sports background. I was a pole vaulter in high school. I won the state championship my senior year, and people don’t expect someone like me—so little and petite.
ESSENCE: With Beyond the Gates gaining momentum—and recognition from the NAACP Image Awards—how do moments like this influence your career aspirations? Do they push you to think about what’s next?
Goings: Absolutely. I’m not closed off to anything, and I’ll never put myself in a box. I truly feel like God has shaped my career and everything that has come my way. Yes, I work hard, but the opportunities that have come to me have all arrived at the right time.
And when the time is right for me to do something different, I’m open to it. I trust that it will come when it’s supposed to.
ESSENCE: With that in mind, are there any dream roles or types of characters you haven’t tackled yet but hope to explore?
Goings: Yeah, I would love to. I love a good drama. I’ve played a homeless person before, and that was a challenge for me because I’ve never been in that situation. I really studied for that role—I would literally go and watch people and see how they moved, because some people are homeless for different reasons. Sometimes someone just fell into a bad situation—it could happen to anybody—and sometimes it’s because they’re struggling with drugs.
So I love a challenging role. When I played that character, I leaned more into someone who had fallen on hard times versus someone strung out on drugs. I haven’t done something like that yet, or an action film.
I also have a stunt background. I’ve done stunt work where your body is there, but your face isn’t showcased. I would love the opportunity to be in an action movie or show where I’m actually doing my own stunts. That would be amazing.
ESSENCE: Circling back to Hayley, what do you hope audiences take away from your portrayal of the character, particularly Black women who are watching?
Goings: Ooh. Well, I hope—and I want to say this with no judgment—but I’m someone who really values integrity and morals. So if someone watching Hayley is living that kind of lifestyle, maybe it might help them reflect a little. They might see themselves in the character and think, “Maybe I could do something a little differently.”
Sometimes people are in situations like that and feel like they’re not doing anything wrong. But seeing it play out from another perspective might help them look at it differently.
ESSENCE: As you look back on your career so far, was there a defining moment when you realized, this is exactly where I’m meant to be?
Goings: Wow. It’s hard to point to just one moment because this career really is a marathon. There are so many moments where you feel like, Okay, I’m on the right track, and then there are valleys where you start questioning it again. And then something happens that reminds you you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
But I would say present day, even with this show, everything about it—the timing, the location, the opportunity to be part of something historic—felt right. It came into my life at the right time. Everyone is doing their job and making the show what it is, but for me personally, it arrived when it was supposed to.
And once I started working with the cast and producers, I knew it was special. It really feels like a family. People sometimes assume we don’t get along because of the characters we play—especially with Hayley stirring up so much drama. I remember someone commenting on a video saying, “Oh, she couldn’t get the other actors to do it with her,” because Hayley wasn’t in a lot of our TikToks at first. But it’s actually the complete opposite.
We’re there for each other on set and off. We have a group thread, we check in, we hang out. And I love that. It’s rare to be on a show where everyone truly gets along. Being around this cast and crew is when I really knew I was in the right place.
The post How Marquita Goings Brings Hayley Hamilton to Life On ‘Beyond the Gates’ appeared first on Essence.