Dilan Gwyn

It was a long climb to the top for Beyond actress Dilan Gwyn, who has overcome discrimination and hardship to become an overnight success as Willa Frost in the Freeform original series. But for the 23-year-old star, the opportunity to bring such a strong character to life is well worth the difficult journey.

Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Dilan’s unique childhood shaped who she is today. Her parents were political refugees from Turkey, where they were persecuted for being an ethnic minority. With her older sisters, they fled to Sweden before Dilan was born. Dilan’s father, a journalist and activist for Kurdish rights, died when she was only 11, upsetting her entire world. “My whole teenage years were spent trying to find a way back to normalcy and happiness,” Dilan says.

Dilan found refuge in acting when she was around 17-years-old. Three years later, Dilan was accepted into both the Stockholm Film School and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. “I had to make a crossroads decision — should I be behind the camera or in front?” she reflects. Eventually, she decided to accept the once-in-alifetime opportunity to attend drama school in the United States, leaving everyone she knew behind for California.

The stark contrast between Stockholm and Los Angeles came as a shock to Dilan, whose only knowledge of the area came from a quick Google search.

“You don’t see any pictures. It’s just the skyline and palm trees. But what does it look like, what is life like?” she says. The weather and locals in Los Angeles proved too strange for Dilan, who transferred to the New York campus for her second year.

“I love New York. For me, it was such a natural place to be,” she says. The culture and history of the city were more familiar to Dilan, and she quickly became infatuated with her neighborhood in Queens. “I like New Yorkers. I like their way of being and living and talking,” Dilan adds. “I connected with them a lot more.”

Dilan’s first two roles after graduation were Swedish films, but she quickly realized her appearance was too “exotic-looking” for Swedish directors. “The lack of on-screen diversity is a problem in Sweden,” Dilan adds. Instead, her success came in London, where studios were more open-minded. Dilan first booked a small role in Dracula Untold, then landed a guest appearance in Da Vinci’s Demons within the same week.

Beyond has been Dilan’s biggest role yet, where she plays the mysterious and independent Willa Frost. Dilan was drawn to the role of Willa because of her take-charge attitude. As soon as she auditioned for Willa, Dilan fell in love with the character. “I really enjoy playing strong women,” Dilan passionately remarks.

Where the first season was about Holden (Burkely Duffield), Season 2 will focus more on his companions, especially Willa. “For me, the second season was a lot more fun because now we have established the realm and the [relationship between Willa and Holden],” Dilan says. Although helping Holden remember was essential to the storyline, it didn’t leave a lot of room for Willa to shine as a character. In contrast, Season 2 will explore what she wants out of her life. “I think for Willa, she didn’t even know that herself. It’s always about the realm or what Arthur wants, but what does she want?” Dilan reflects.

“A part of [Willa] wants to be a normal girl and have a normal life, which she’s never had before. She’s very much drawn to that. She was really drawn to Holden having a normal family,” Dilan adds. Willa has never had a family or real friendships before, so the relationships she is developing are still very new to her. As she learns how to make friends, attend family dinners and go on dates, “she tries to plaster this idea of a normal person on top of her, and she’s not very normal.”

Season 1 was an instant hit, growing a wide fanbase soon after its release. Dilan attributes some of the show’s success to its accessibility. Because the entire show was available to stream at once, many new fans were drawn in immediately by the plot. Dilan sees Beyond’s unusual release format (for Freeform) as beneficial to shows without a pre-existing fanbase, since the intended teenage audience likes to binge their favorite programs. Because there is no delay from week to week, fans are less likely to miss an episode or lose interest in the series.

The night of the show’s release in January, Dilan’s social following exploded from a few thousand to almost twenty thousand people. Before working on Beyond, Dilan’s didn’t consider herself much of a personal “sharer” on social media, but she has taken the opportunity to grow her presence and stretch her comfort zone. “I need to think twice now before I post something stupid,” Dilan jokes.

Although documenting her daily life is still unnatural to Dilan, she enjoys being able to live tweet the show and interact with fans. In the year since the premiere, Dilan has learned how to take selfies and document her meals – concepts that were once foreign to the actress. Behind-thescenes footage was also a new experience for Dilan. It took a while for her to become comfortable around the camera, but now she is a pro at acting natural and looking directly into the lens. “[The directors said to] just be yourself...what do you mean? I can’t be myself, I’m an actor!” she laughs.