Alecsys Proctor-Turner started her performing career as a second grader at Perrine Elementary in Palmetto Bay. Now she's playing Nala, a Gen Z stylist, in the third and final season of Netflix's comedy-drama "Survival of the Thickest," which premiered Thursday, July 2.

Proctor-Turner, a South Miami-Dade native whose family traces its roots to the founding of Richmond Heights, trained at the Dr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the Arts magnet school at 8851 SW 168th St. She commuted across the county to programs including Miami Children's Theater in Kendall, New World School of the Arts, and Area Stage in Coral Gables. She also performed in church plays at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church.

The spark came early. As an elementary schooler, Proctor-Turner watched a Coral Reef High School senior perform the title role in "Aida" at Miami Children's Theater and decided on the spot she would pursue acting.

"I know I'm my great-grandma, Mary Lynn Cambridge's, wildest dream," Proctor-Turner told the Miami Herald. "She used to tell me all the time, like, 'Girl, you gonna be on TV.'"

Richmond Heights roots

Proctor-Turner's great-grandfather was part of the Bahamian migration that helped establish Richmond Heights. The neighborhood, conceived by Pan American Airlines Capt. Frank C. Martin for Black World War II veterans during segregation, saw its first 26 residential lots purchased in December 1949. The Miami Times reported that the Richmond Heights Pioneer Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, and descendants gathered April 15 for the unveiling of a State of Florida historic marker honoring the district.

A character shaped by personal details

Proctor-Turner told The Curvy Fashionista that by Season 3, the show's creative team had woven her personality into Nala. The writers incorporated her favorite color, pink, into the wardrobe and added a butterfly motif that reminds her of her great-grandmother, whom she calls "Mama Lynn."

The show stars FIU alumna Michelle Buteau as lead character Mavis Beaumont. All episodes of Season 3 are streaming on Netflix.

Miami Children's Theater, where Proctor-Turner first caught the acting bug, has produced 12 Broadway alumni from its Kendall campus at the Robert Russell Theater since its 1996 founding, according to the theater's website. Proctor-Turner said she wants to return to Miami to inspire young people in South Dade, telling the Herald there are not enough local artists visible to the younger generation.