Dilan Gwyn – Beyond

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I have two projects kind of coming up that I’m going to be shooting. I don’t like jinxing things because if it doesn’t happen then it sucks to have talked about it. [laughs] There is one movie I’m probably going to shoot in Morocco next week. Knock on wood and fingers crossed that it all goes well!

Q) How was Willa originally described to you?

A) Honestly, I didn’t get much of a description and I didn’t get much of a backstory. When we shot the pilot, everything was really vague to all of us. So, I didn’t know a lot of details of The Realm. So, I had to kind of focus on the fact I had a relationship with this guy and he doesn’t remember me. There wasn’t a lot more there, but I think they let me play with it a lot. It wasn’t “you have to do it like this or that.” I did the audition and I guess they kind of liked what I brought to the table. They were like, “Just bring that to the show!” I said, “Okay! I’ll do it.” [laughs]

Q) We’ve been seeing Willa connect more with Luke this season. What is it about him that makes draws her to him?

A) I think she has just kind of found a friend in him and I think that is a new concept to her. It’s really unexpected, but he kind of accepts her how she is – even though she can be quite strange. He just kind of accepts her as she comes. I think because of that he is someone she can relax with. She’s not really good at relaxing. [laugh] So, I think that’s a new kind of feeling for her. He’s an unexpected friend for her and someone that can be a friend to her.

Q) What can you tease in store the rest of the season on “Beyond?”

A) Holden (Burkely Duffield) is not really sharing with Willa. He kind of tried to in the beginning of the season by saying, “I’m having these dreams…” She told him they were just nightmares, but he didn’t really continue on telling her that he was having waking nightmares and visions. It accelerates for him, but he decides not to tell her so she doesn’t really know about everything that is going on with The Realm. He kind of keeps her in the dark this season. We ended episode nine in the headquarters and I think we can’t let this chair get into the wrong hands. Her mission is something else right now. She doesn’t know about how broken The Realm is and that’s kind of where we have left it. That’s what Holden is dealing with and she is dealing with more of a real-world problem in terms of having to stop Hollow Sky and do more practical real life things. They’ve had to kind of split up their missions for whatever reason. That’s kind of how it develops this time around.

Q) Should there be a Season Three (knock on wood), is there someone from the cast you would like to work with more or that you haven’t even had scenes with?

A) I would love for Willa to have more of a relationship with Jeff (Jeff Pierre). I think that would be really cool because they’d probably make a really good team. Also, I feel like it would be fun for Willa and Yellow Jacket (Peter Kelamis) to cooperate in some way instead of being enemies. I think that would be fun to watch. We’ll see what happens! [laughs]

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Beyond?”

A) Well, there are all these extremes she has had. I don’t remember specific episodes. She’s had a couple fight scenes and she’s had some scenes where she has been allowed to be quite emotional, which I think is quite new to her. So, there are just a couple moments that bring to mind. The fight scenes and her kind of telling Holden off by saying he should maybe think about someone else other than himself (or whatever that scene was in episode four). Obviously, the bowling alley scene – that was probably my favorite one! They all get together and I just loved the whole awkwardness. That was actually a lot of fun to film, although it took a really long time and we were all really tired. There was just so much going on with Willa and Charlie (Eden Brolin) and then Willa and Holden. Then, there is Luke (Jonathan Whitesell) on her side there. Everyone had so much going on in their minds and there was so much happening within them, but no one was saying anything. I thought that was the most interesting shoot.

Q) What do you think it is about the series that has made it such a fan favorite show?

A) I personally like that it doesn’t really fit into a mold. It’s not like a pure fantasy, action or relationship show. It is kind of incapsulated in this sci-fi kind of framework or world (or whatever you want to call it), but at the same time we’re all humans. We’re not aliens – even though some of us have extraordinary abilities. We all have our emotions that we have to deal with and real-life issues. So, those real-life issues get blended into this whole fantastical world. So, I personally like that there is a little bit of everything there. It’s not just one thing. Hopefully, that’s what fans like about it, too. It’s very different.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

A) I think that for me as the actor it’s been more enjoyable for me since everything wasn’t released all at once like last season. That might be more enjoyable for the viewers as well, but I don’t know, because you don’t get those cliffhangers. And it’s been fun this season to really keep people on their toes and people have been really excited about all the cliffhangers to see what is going to happen in the next episode. So, while it’s been more old school, it’s been more fun for me (as the actor). I know that binge watching is very “in” and people like to binge watch, which I definitely understand, but it’s just been more fun this season with social media because people are really happy and positive. They are sharing that with us. It’s been really fun!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Oh man! I would just like to say a huge thank you. If it wasn’t for people tuning in every week we wouldn’t be able to do the second season at all. I personally think the second season was so much more of an improvement from the first season. And the fact that we got the chance to do it, I’m just happy that people are really enjoying it and are able to really appreciate the effort that we’ve all put into the show. Everyone from the writers to the producers and actors – I’m just really happy they are getting the experience and they’re happy about it. So, thanks guys! Thanks to everyone, really.