‘Love Island’ Star Miguel on His “Real and Pure” Relationship With Leah in ‘Beyond the Villa’
They may not be stuck in a villa this summer, but there’s still plenty of drama heating up between the Love Island USA season six fan-favorites in the new Peacock spinoff, Beyond the Villa.
In episode two, which aired on Thursday, Liv Walker’s friendship with Kaylor Martin hits a rough patch, despite them being “joined at the hip” since leaving the Love Island villa last summer. Walker tells The Hollywood Reporter that it’s “hard to fight with anyone, let alone someone close to you like that.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Miguel Harichi continues to grow his relationship with Leah Kateb (whom he met in the villa last summer) and finally gets to ride her horse, which Leah is extremely protective of. This season, he says he’s excited for fans to see “how real and pure” their dynamic is in the outside world.
Below, Harichi, Walker and Connor Newsum talk about what it was like to reunite with the season six cast for the spinoff and what they’re most excited for fans to see in Beyond the Villa. Walker also teases whether she and Martin will reconcile later in the season.
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What was it like to reunite with your fellow Islanders nearly a year later for Beyond the Villa?
WALKER It was a cool experience. We all have such busy schedules, so some of us will see each other at events, but to be all in one place at the same time, in summertime, I thought, what a cool experience.
HARICHI I haven’t seen a lot of these guys for a whole year. Like, I didn’t see you [Connor] since the villa. So it was really cool to reconnect and see everyone again and see where everyone was at.
Miguel, you and Leah seem to have such a fun and playful relationship on social media. How do you keep a healthy balance between your public and personal lives?
HARICHI It is just the way our lives are right now. I think me and Leah are two people that don’t take everything too seriously. We’ve always played around and we can make a joke about anything, so it’s just mindfulness, understanding where we are right now, understanding that there are eyes on us, but not allowing that to hinder what we got going on because what we got going on is so pure and so real. Because of how real and pure what we have is, it makes it hard for any outside noise to really disrupt that. We enjoy each day at a time.
Liv, can you talk about how difficult it was to fight with Kaylor, and whether fans expect to see you both heal your friendship later in the season?
WALKER It’s definitely difficult. I see Kaylor as a sister of mine, and it’s hard to fight with anyone, let alone someone close to you like that. I feel like you guys will see both of us individually flourish, and then you will also see our friendship and be able to be a part of the journey and going through that, which will be nice. But I’m excited to see and have you guys be a part of the journey. We’ll have to wait and find out.
Was the tension between you two at Connor’s birthday party in episode two as awkward in the room as it felt through the screen for viewers?
WALKER It’s obviously gonna be awkward. We were joined at the hip, and then we weren’t. Walking in, my main focus was to celebrate Connor and his birthday and meet Connor’s friends because I feel like I always want to see my friend’s support system outside of just us. So that was really my main priority.
Miguel, knowing how important Leah’s animals are to her, what did it mean for you when you got to ride her horse in the show? And what do you hope the future looks like for you as a couple?
HARICHI It means a lot to me, because I know her animals mean a lot to her, and not just anybody can be introduced to her animals. She’s very protective of her animals, rightly so. I’ve already been introduced to Val and the other group, but we hadn’t until that moment actually had a chance to get a riding lesson down, which she is, by the way, a great teacher. She had me learning, I felt like a cowboy instantly (Laughs). But honestly, not only with her but also her whole family, her mom, her dad, her sisters, her cousins, her aunts, uncles, they’ve all been so loving and welcoming. I felt like I was part of the family from day one. To see how much trust and love they have towards me means the world.
Overall, what are you most excited for fans to see in Beyond the Villa?
WALKER I’m excited for fans to see what everyone’s been working on individually and their goals and passions, and see it be put into play and then the outcomes that come from it. But also to see the different friendships they might not have seen as much or at all in the previous season. And we’re going on a fun trip!
NEWSUM It’s good to see a lot more personal lives. Obviously you get to see a lot of dating too with the couples that left the villa together, so there’s that, but then there’s also the friendship dynamics that go into play as well.
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Love Island: Beyond the Villa is currently streaming on Peacock, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.
