On Beyond the Gates, Chelsea Hamilton is breaking free from her mother’s momager ways. And she’s starting to build a career for herself, one that she knows will be more fulfilling than modeling. However, to make it happen for herself, she had to face her mother and cut herself loose. While it was painful, it was a mature step on her road to being a formidable designer. Soap Hub talked to RhonniRose Mantilla about her character’s act of independence and about working with her TV mom, Karla Mosley.
Designing Woman
Chelsea (Mantilla) and Kat (Colby Muhammad) are starting with bags/purses, but their ambitions include so much more. First, the model had to confront her mom and tell her the truth: that she would no longer need her services. Although the words hurt, Dani managed to pull herself together and tell her daughter that she would be a hypocrite if she stopped her from breaking out on her own.
“I think Chelsea, with that, she was beginning to crack her egg,” Mantilla explains. “She’s like a baby bird in an egg trying to get out. She’s just getting started, really. I think by telling her mom it’s her coming to terms with it herself.”
READ THIS: What else you should know about RhonniRose Mantilla.
Role Models
While the St. Louis native has plenty of theater experience, she is a newbie to the world of daytime soaps. The learning curve has been real. “It’s been a process, just giving myself grace as an artist,” the actress states. “I think that the audience will see us all kind of becoming more comfortable as the episodes go on.”
Thankfully, she has veterans like Karla Mosley (Dani) and Tamara Tunie (Anita) to look to for guidance. “Karla is a legend,” Mantilla raves. “She’s just a ball of light and love, and working with her is one of the best gifts I could have been given. She makes me better.”
As for Tunie, “She came to my birthday party,” laughs Mantilla, who turned 25 in February. “She just is the sweetest thing, and she helps us out every single day on set, whether it’s just you’re doing a great or good job, she’s giving us notes, you know? I love it.”
READ THIS: Weekly BTG recap March 24 – 28: Naomi’s decision & Chelsea’s bombshell
The Chelsea Hamilton Influence
What the music theater major really enjoys about playing Chelsea is embodying a person who’s a bit different from her. “I’m personally kind of shy, more subdued,” she reveals. “She is the girl that we all wanted to be when we were kids.”
When she steps into Chelsea’s gorgeous clothes and onto those beautiful sets, those external elements help the actress get into the mindset of her character. “As soon as the shoes come on or I go to my grands’ (her grandparents) house, and I see that classic painting that every black grandma has in her living room, and the big beautiful fluffy couch, it’s home. So it definitely helps.” Interestingly, Chelsea’s “it-girl” persona has had an influence on Mantilla’s real life. “Playing Chelsea, I started to wear bright colors and patterns and textures, and she’s just a ball.”
READ THIS: Find out what BTG moments made Soap Hub‘s Hits and Misses list.
Daddy Issues
In the Hamilton family, Chelsea takes after her fashionista mom, while Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) takes after her dad. After all, they are both attorneys at law. However, the show will have to tackle Chelsea’s issues with Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett). He shattered their family when he left Dani for Hayley (Marquita Goings).
Mantilla teased that fans may eventually see more of Chelsea and Bill. “As you know, Chelsea’s kind of at odds with her father right now, but at some point she’s gotta face it. She’s avoiding that, but she’s got to face it at some point.”
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