Entertainment
The 'Beyond' Cast Includes TV Staples
Freeform is diving deeper into the world of the supernatural in 2017 with the special two-hour premiere of its latest series Beyond on Monday, Jan. 2 at 9 p.m. ET. And from the looks of Beyond's official Season 1 trailer, this supernatural series is going to be as trippy as they come. That means the Beyond cast will need to work hard to keep this show stupefying yet still grounded for viewers.
The new series kicks off when a young man named Holden Matthews miraculously wakes up from a coma. Not only does he have to get used to living in the world again and being 12 years older than when he first fell asleep, but he also soon begins experiencing far-out, inexplicable abilities and memories. Things get even more confusing for Holden when he meets a mysterious woman named Willa who warns him that he's in danger and that he shouldn't trust anyone. When strangers start to come after Holden, he realizes that she wasn't kidding.
Well, Beyond certainly sounds like the perfect TV show to keep you on the edge of your seat during a long and cold winter. But I have a feeling that I'll be intrigued enough to keep on watching through the spring. Beyond's cast of promising up-and-coming actors, as well as familiar faces from around the small screen has a lot to do with that.
Burkely Duffield As Holden Matthews
Burkely Duffield leads the Beyond cast as Holden, and this series is his most high-profile gig to date. He was most recently seen as Callan in last summer's Warcraft, and he has had roles in TV shows like Supernatural, Minority Report, and The Tomorrow People. If Beyond is a hit, it could mean big things for Duffield.
Romy Rosemont As Diane Matthews
Romy Rosemont plays Holden's mom Diane Matthews in Beyond, but she may be most familiar to Gleeks since she played Finn's mom and Kurt's stepmom Carole. But even if you didn't watch Glee, you've probably seen Rosemont before since she has appeared on many recent TV series, including Silicon Valley, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Justified, Scandal, Secrets & Lies, and The Fosters. She has also appeared on the big screen in movies like Please Give and Friends with Money. Here's hoping Rosemont brings the same strength and vulnerability to the character of Diane as she has with many of her other previous roles.
Michael McGrady As Tom Matthews
Michael McGrady portrays the patriarch of the Matthews family, Tom, in Beyond. He has recently been seen in recurring TV roles in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Ray Donovan, and Southland. He also made a name for himself in movies like The Babe, Diggstown, Wyatt Earp, The Thin Red Line, and The Deep End of the Ocean.
Jonathan Whitesell As Luke Matthews
Jonathan Whitesell is another fairly new face to the world of show business. He'll be playing Holden's younger brother, Luke Matthews, in Beyond. So far in his career, Whitesell has appeared in TV shows like The 100, Once Upon a Time, this year's X-Files event series, and iZombie. It looks like he and Duffield will make one adorable and enviable pair of brothers in Beyond.
Dilan Gwyn As Willa
Dilan Gwyn plays Willa in Beyond, and since her character doesn't have a last name listed, I'm going to assume that there's probably something a little different about her that will be revealed as the season progresses. For now, you can see that she knows more about Holden's condition post-coma than he does, and it looks like she's going to act as a guide of sorts as he navigates his new powers and possibly new worlds. I wouldn't be surprised if these two characters ended up romantically involved as well.
Before Beyond, Gwyn did some work in her native Sweden. American audiences may have seen her in Da Vinci's Demons or Dracula Untold. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of this character and the actress behind her in the future.
Jeff Pierre As Jeff McArdle
Jeff Pierre's Beyond character Jeff McArdle seems to be in the most danger in the Season 1 trailer. He also appears to know about the danger Holden faces and gets into some trouble of his own. Pierre is best-known for playing Caleb on Shameless. He has appeared elsewhere on TV in CSI, Glee, and Anger Management.
Now I can't wait to see how this cast handles a bold, new series like Beyond.
