“Beyond the Gates ”Star Brandon Claybon Says He's 'Shocked' to Be Living His Dreams, Adds He's Just Getting Started (Exclusive)

Kayla GrantWed, June 17, 2026 at 8:07 PM UTC

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Brandon ClaybonCredit: Leon Bennett/Getty -

Beyond the Gates star Brandon Claybon is "shocked" to be living his wildest dreams

The breakout actor, who learned the power of betting and depending on yourself early on in life, tells PEOPLE that he knows there's more in store for him in the future

The CBS daytime drama first premiered in February 2025

Breakout star Brandon Claybon is living his wildest dreams — and he's only just getting started.

The Beyond the Gates actor, 37, tells PEOPLE he learned the power of betting and depending on yourself early on in his life. Claybon, who grew up playing tennis, says the sport instilled in him all the determination, discipline and drive he needed to keep growing and developing in his life and career.

"I learned so much from the sport of tennis and not just acting, but in life in general," Claybon, 37, explains. "On the tennis court, especially if you play singles, you're all you got out there. It's just you."

"It's like the determination you need, [and the] discipline you need ... are necessities throughout your craft [and] throughout your life," he adds. "I thank God that I had tennis growing up because I knew anything that I could think in my mind, it could happen."

Decades later, the Tennessee native is living the life he manifested for himself as a young boy who fell in love with what he saw in commercials and soap operas. The actor currently stars as Martin Richardson, a senator with a dark secret, on the hit CBS daytime drama, which premiered in February 2025.

From stepping into the major role to sitting at the center of an epic multi-episode crossover with The Young and the Restless, Claybon tells PEOPLE he's "just so shocked" that everything he dreamed of is coming to fruition.

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"I had to take a second, take a moment, because I was in awe. Everything that I wrote down, maybe this was during COVID ... it's come to fruition now," he shares. "And so I'm like, I'm just so shocked."

"At the same time, of course, I know these things can happen, but to happen the way they did, the way they continued to happen was like, 'Okay, all right, it doesn't stop here,' " says Claybon, who adds that the goalpost for what he can accomplish keeps changing. "We have to keep going. I said, 'Now, what's next on my list?' So that's where I am now in my life, but I also have to sit back and enjoy the accomplishments so far."

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Dawntavia Marrero as Shonda, Brandon Claybon as Martin Richardson and Mike Manning as Bradley Smith in 'Beyond the Gates'Credit: Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Stepping into the role of Martin Richardson wasn't an easy transition for the budding star. Claybon admits it was "really tough" getting into the mindset of his character, who's navigating the aftermath of a racially charged encounter he and his grandfather Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) had a few years ago.

"It was really tough at first jumping into that because there's a lot of trauma that you're dealing with," the Zatima actor explains. "I had to get involved with writing a lot about what he went through two years past on that country road with the racist and with his grandfather."

The cast of 'Beyond the Gates'Credit: Quantrell Colbert/CBS

In addition to digging deep to find how Martin was impacted by that traumatic encounter, Claybon says he had to work to understand the deep, unyielding love his character has for his husband Bradley "Smitty" Smith (Mike Manning) and their two children Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller).

"Anything that he could do, he will [to] protect them. The love that he has for his husband, his children, those are types of love that I've never experienced in my life," he explains. "I had to really write down pages and pages of why I love these people so much."

"Once you get past the love of it all [and] the sacrifice, then Martin's easy," Claybon continues. "When it comes to the politics of it all and making sure that his constituents are good and fundraising and being on the political trail, he knows that like the back of his hand."

Brandon Claybon as Martin Richardson in 'Beyond the Gates'Credit: Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Through his discovery of all the complexities and nuances of Martin Richardson, Claybon tells PEOPLE that he learned a new level of determination, drive and belief in himself.

"I think it was knowing no matter what I go through in my life and my craft, I can get through it," he shares. "No matter how bad we think it is, no matter how much pressure we put on ourselves because of what others think about what we're going through, you can get through it every time."

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT on CBS.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”