Marquita Goings may play a ruthless savage on screen, but in real life, she is all about peace.
The actress, who portrays Hayley Lawson Hamilton on Beyond the Gates, has found a way to balance one of the most intense roles on daytime television with a strict wellness routine that helps her stay grounded.
The 50-Page Marathon
The workload on a daily soap like Beyond the Gates is no joke.
While a typical primetime drama might film five to eight pages of script in a day, Goings recently revealed that her cast often tackles 40 to 50 pages daily. Since one page usually equals about one minute of screen time, that means the team is essentially producing an entire episode every single day.
To keep up, Goings shows up to set with a clear mindset. She also uses a dedicated “Hayley playlist” to help bridge the gap between her calm personality and her character’s manipulative energy.
Turning Chaos Into Calm
Playing a villain that fans love to hate can take a real mental toll.
On screen, Hayley has already faked a pregnancy and even poisoned her husband, actions Goings says are the complete opposite of who she is in real life.
To shake off that intense energy, she relies on what she describes as a personal trifecta: prayer, meditation, and time in a hot sauna.
She starts her mornings with meditation to set the tone for the day. Then at night, she heads into 180°C heat to quite literally sweat out the drama of Fairmont Crest.
Keeping Hayley on Screen
At the end of the day, Goings makes it clear that there is a big difference between her and the character she plays.
“I feel like naturally, as Marquita, I’m chill. Hayley and I are the complete opposite,” she told ESSENCE magazine. “I was getting the scripts and I’m like, ‘Oh, she’s a savage.’ But tapping into that, I also want to honor people’s real lives, because for some, this is somebody’s real situation. There are scammers out there, and there are people who maybe didn’t have the right upbringing or who’ve faced situations that shape how they move. I still want to honor that.”
By sticking to her routine and protecting her peace, Goings is able to fully step into Hayley’s chaos on screen while keeping her real life grounded.
And that balance is what makes her such a standout, both in Fairmont Crest and beyond.
How are you liking Marquita Goings as Hayley? How do you feel about the storyline? Leave a comment below!
Photo Credit: CBS Broadcasting Inc.
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