Greg Vaughan has been a prominent fixture of daytime television for nearly 25 years, having played several key characters across “The Young and the Restless,” “General Hospital” and “Days of our Lives.” Still, it’s his new role on “Beyond the Gates” where he gets to come alive, playing his first original role after having previously portrayed recasts.
Beginning Monday, December 8, Vaughan makes his debut in Fairmont Crest as Dr. Kial Rollins, a widower and father of two grown adult children, both male, and an orthopedic surgeon.
Kial (pronounced like Kyle) is athletic, personable, and spontaneous. After his wife died a few years ago, Kial became a traveling physician, allowing him to explore the country, experience different cultures, and meet interesting people. Kial has romanced women, but hasn’t met the one who could get him to settle down again – will a blind date change his mind? Kial’s game to find out.
Family Life, Move to Texas & Connecting To Atlanta
That said, filming “Beyond the Gates” in Atlanta rather than Los Angeles marks a big adjustment for Vaughan, though he says, “It’s really only been the best for me and where my life is right now.”
Greg Vaughan
“Pre-COVID, I moved out of Los Angeles, so then I was on ‘Queen Sugar’ in New Orleans, and so when the shutdown happened and all that … and then I was living on the East Coast for a bit, and then I moved to Texas four years ago, four and a half years ago, and then let me tell you, I can get to Atlanta much faster than I could to L.A., but the beauty with getting to L.A. is I could literally leave the same day and be on set at nine in the morning,” Vaughan continued, referring to the time difference between Texas and California. “At 7:00 a.m., it was 5:00 a.m. there in L.A., so I could fly in and land around 8:15, 8:30, and be on set at 9:00 a.m. every day. And it gave me that window, just like for me, it was great. I could sleep in the comfort of my own house and make sure my kids were at school. Everybody was good.”
As for Atlanta, Vaughan loves the area, particularly because it’s not far from the University of Alabama, where his eldest son, Jathan James Vaughan, attends as a freshman.
“For me, I’m less than three hours to get to him. So if I got a day off, I’m like, ‘Hey, you want to go to dinner? You want to go to lunch? I’m coming.’ But sometimes I’m more excited than he is. He is like, ‘Dad, I’m busy. I got to be at my house. I got a fraternity party that night.’ I’m like, ‘I’m your father.’ He’s like, ‘I see enough of you already. You come in every month.'”
Welcome to Fairmont Crest, Kial Rollins
When offered the role of Kial on “Beyond the Gates,” the only thing he knew going in was that his character would be a doctor.
Since then, Vuaghan notes, “Kial is a widower of two adult young men, and he’s a traveling orthopedic surgeon. So he’s a bit of a nomad, to a sense, because as a widower, he’s just trying to, not only, I mean, he’s a father. He has two young men who are trying to find their paths in life. So he’s been rooted in this world that he wants to share with his partner in crime. And so not having that mirror extension of yourself, it’s kind of like he’s dove into all his work, and along the way he’s made new friends at medical conventions and stuff like that.”
Revealing what brings Kial to Fairmont Crest, Vaughan says, “[Kial] gets called to come to Fairmont Crest to be at the hospital and runs into one of his old friends from a medical thing, wherever those doctors go or those conditions. So that opens the door for friends and acquaintances, and it just becomes this little turnstile. It just opened up. And so he travels. He’s not there all the time. He does leave, but he’s not rooted there. He doesn’t have roots there.”
While there will definitely be some characters Kial interacts with more consistently, Vaughan shares that his first day of filming included spending the entire day with more than 20 cast members for 15 or 16 hours, which isn’t surprising given that the WinterFest celebration currently taking place marks his introduction to the canvas.
Greg Vaughan
Though he’s recurring on “Beyond the Gates,” Vaughan is looking to spend as much time on the show as the producers and writers allow, including if that means establishing the Rollins family as another foundational family like the Duprees. “Wow, that’d be a legacy family name,” responded the actor when asked about the possibility. However, he says, “That’s something you’d need to talk to [series creator, head writer, executive producer and showrunner] Michele Val Jean about.” Ditto for why the show opted to spell his character’s name differently from the traditional “Kyle” spelling.
At present, Kial’s children will not be joining him in Fairmont Crest, though Vaughan emphasized that the two males are within the college age of 18 and not the older 25+. While that could change down the road, considering the ages of the current crop of young adults, it does make one wonder where they might fit in if and when the show chooses to write them in formally, and who they might interact with.
That said, considering the diverse canvas, there is nothing currently stated about the race of either child, with Vaughan clarifying, “There is nothing established. I have mentioned them in conversation, and at some point, I do feel that they will be brought to the show. I hope so. That would be great. I mean, to actually introduce me, I mean, I’m a father of three boys, and it works great. There’s a lot of mixed race on the canvas already, so that hasn’t been a conversation that Michele and I, or anybody else, have had.”
Fresh And New
While not on contract at the moment, that could change in the future. “Yeah, it was something I think they wanted to see,” says Vaughan, referring to establishing his character first. “I think this is the show, as we all know, and something I’ve already said that ‘Beyond the Gates is so fresh and new, but it just feels like… I mean, I’ve done primetime, nighttime television and daytime, so it just feels like I’m going to set, but I’m surrounded by a lot of people, and it is so different. It’s not something that’s got a 60-year timeline. It doesn’t have 14,000 episodes. This is 200 plus.”
“They just got their pickup for 250 episodes,” adds Vaughan, talking about the show being picked up for a second season, which begins airing in early 2026. “I think Michele just wanted to put in this dynamic and weave it into her amazing quilt of this show that she’s cultivated. She’s got this world going on, and however my Kial Rollins intercedes and leaves seed, or whatever, to make more children and maybe a family name would be great. I don’t know.”
Ultimately, Vaughan shares that while things remain undermined for now, for him, the excitement and professionalism are all there. “They’re just getting, I mean, like I said, my first two days, it was like 14-hour days, I think 15-hour days. And I was like, ‘Wow.’ They were like, ‘We have to push things.’ They’re not for it. We live under such a thumb and the tight budget, they’re very restricted of how much we can’t go over. This is a hardworking group, but nobody shows if they’re tired or not. They got smiles on their face, they’re excited. They’re like, ‘Wow.’ They love big moments that are happening. I’m just like, ‘This is different, I haven’t felt like this in 10 years!'”
Kial: The Romancer
Although he couldn’t give much away about Kial’s upcoming blind date, Vaughan did share, with a smile on his face, “It’s going to be magical. I mean, I’m just letting sparks happen wherever, and if they happen, they happen. I’m just letting it settle out.”
Greg Vaughan, Daphnée Duplaix
Core Differences
As for how his character on “Beyond the Gates” differs from his previous soap roles, including Diego Guittierez on “The Young and the Restless,” Lucy Spencer on “General Hospital,” Eric Brady on “Days of our Lives” and even Calvin on “Queen Sugar,” Vaughan points out, “Lucky and Calvin were both cops. And then Eric was a photographer, then found God in faith and became holy, then became a priest, then became a photographer again after he was denounced and defrocked. So this character is brand new. It’s not a recast. It’s the first time [I’m originating a role], and Michele gave me that freedom and just said, ‘Greg, I want you to do this. I want this to be yours.'”
“I was given such freedom,” basks Vaughan. “And also because of my experience in daytime, I think it was very well respected. I’ve been just given this environment to come in and be me, and without really direction in a way that’s not, that it’s not being offered, because I’ve been on sets that were just like, ‘Hey, here’s the notes, here’s your blocking.’ There were past ‘Hey,’ conversations about your choices, or we’re doing what we’re trying to gain here. What are we setting up? What’s the path?’ [Meanwhile], this has become like, ‘I love what you’re doing. Just do you.'”
Growing Talent
While several of the show’s cast members are new to soaps, Vaughan’s being a veteran isn’t going to his head. He points out that there’s no, “See, that’s a professional. This is how you do this job. That’s why we have Greg V on the show,” noting he’s “not that guy.” He does, however, feel validated compared with previous experiences. “I’ve been so validated in so many ways that it gives me reason to do what I do, and I love what I do. I show up to be my best and let that person be their best when they have to be.”
During his time at “General Hospital,” Vaughan reveals that some of the young talent on the show at the time were always at their best, and the same can be said of some of his younger co-stars at “Beyond the Gates.”
Julie Berman, Greg Vaughan
“I’ve seen such young and vivacious risk takers on this show that I’ve only seen twice happen before: Julie Marie Berman [ex-Lulu Spencer] was the first, and then Natalia Livingston [ex-Emily Quartermaine] from ‘General Hospital.'” Vaughan adds, “When I saw Julie, as she was the first girl who played Lulu, I was like, ‘Did y’all see what I just saw? I’ve seen that twice already on ‘Beyond the Gates.'”
Unsurprisingly, Berman and Livingston each won a Daytime Emmy Award for their roles on “General Hospital.” Vaughan later took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 for his role on “Days of our Lives.”
“They have really found some really, really powerful talent. And I’m just like, ‘Wow, this is, and everybody, I kid you not, what is being scoped and presented to the audience, to the viewer, about ‘Beyond the Gates’ defies by leaps and bounds, everything, and it just mirrors everything that ‘Beyond the Gates’ is interior. They laugh, they smile, they’re happy. So dig in.'”
Why Fans Should Tune In
“I’m a fan of ‘Beyond the Gates.’ I’ve become a fan of a man who hasn’t seen, or I’ve witnessed by watching, or by being present,” states Vaughan, when asked why fans from all the shows he’s been on and should find their way to “Beyond the Gates.”
“I’m very excited about what is being written, the storytelling that is being shared, that is being cultivated, and all these families, no matter just the conflict, rejoice, and when they come together, and I mean, it’s a beautiful show,” continues Vaughan. “It’s really pretty: costumes, the set, the talent. This is a very unique and special show that’s happening, and I’m just very glad to be a contributing thought to that I could bring value.”
“I love each and every one who supported me and appreciated the work that I’ve done over the course of many shows that I’ve been on,” continues Vaughan. “But I know that they will love this show, and because they watch it, we have the opportunity to keep making this magic.”
While there might be some detractors, and he’s become aware of them, Vaughan says, “A lot of people, I mean, I’ve heard stories where people are like, ‘Why?’ And then it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going to make people rethink, tune it in a little different, I’m ready to reshape something, a narrative.'”
Note: The post ‘Beyond The Gates’ Newcomer Greg Vaughan: “I Haven’t Felt Like This In 10 Years!” (EXCLUSIVE) first appeared on Soap Opera Network.
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