Cady McClain Transforms into ‘Pamela’ on Beyond the Gates
Emmy winner applauds Atlanta crew for her green makeover and hails hair, makeup artisans!!
Image: Instagram
Cady McClain, the three-time Daytime Emmy Award–winning actress, gave fans a peek behind the scenes of her latest project with an Instagram shout-out to the Beyond the Gates styling crew. In a recent post, she thanked the hair, makeup and wardrobe artists who brought her new character, “Pamela,” to life—with a twist of vibrant green.
Behind The ‘pamela’ Makeover
No crazy bang here! McClain’s original caption read, “Massive shout out to the hair and makeup and wardrobe ARTISTS at Beyond the Gates who turn this wild child into a fierce female friend that is ‘Pamela’! Thank you for everything, BTG! See you soon, Atlanta! You are so beautifully green.” The accompanying image shows her sporting a striking emerald hue and perfectly blended makeup that underscores the dramatic edge of her role.
The post, shared via her @cadymcclain Instagram handle, tagged the show’s official account, @beyondthegatescbs, and included the hashtags #beyondthegates and #pamela. In less than 24 hours, her message earned thousands of likes from fans eager to see McClain’s transformation—and to find out what Pamela will bring to the reality-competition format.
Emmy Winner Joins Beyond The Gates
McClain’s journey began as a child actress, but she earned her first Daytime Emmy in 1991 for her portrayal of Dixie Cooney on All My Children. She scored a second Emmy in 1998 for the same role and later added a digital Emmy in 2021. Over three decades, she’s appeared on soap classics such as As the World Turns and Santa Barbara, demonstrating a versatility that now extends to reality-style programming.
“Working with this team is a dream,” McClain told Soap Hub after a recent staged reading of Eric Conger’s The Park. While that playraising event highlighted her stage chops, Beyond the Gates marks her first deep dive into a competition-style series that promises drama, strategy and high-stakes challenges.
Green Hues In Atlanta
After principal photography wrapped in Los Angeles, the cast and crew headed to Atlanta—where McClain’s vibrant coloration was a nod to the city’s lush landscapes and growing entertainment scene. Atlanta has become a major production hub for network and streaming shows, and Beyond the Gates is leveraging local sound stages and back-lot sets to craft its brand of suspenseful tasks.
“Atlanta, you are so beautifully green,” she wrote, capturing both the literal and metaphorical sense of renewal that the series aims to project. Sources say McClain will face a series of teamwork and endurance challenges while navigating alliances that could make or break her stay in the competition.
Insiders confirm that Beyond the Gates will air later this summer on CBS and the Paramount+ streaming platform. With host Christine Quinn and a mix of celebrity contestants, the show blends reality-TV tactics with cinematic production values—an environment McClain feels right at home in after years of on-camera work.
What’s Next For Mcclain
Beyond her turn as Pamela, McClain continues to develop theater projects in Los Angeles and New York. She’s slated to appear in a forthcoming one-act festival directed by Austin Pendleton, and her previous stage readings have raised funds for the Entertainment Community Fund’s wildfire relief efforts.
Still, fans will likely be most excited to see how her soap-honed instincts help her navigate the shifting alliances on Beyond the Gates. With a track record of memorable characters and real-life resilience, McClain is poised to make Pamela one of her most talked-about parts yet.
As cameras roll in Atlanta, one thing is clear: this wild child has never looked fiercer—or greener—than she does as Pamela on Beyond the Gates.
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