Miami Proud: Miami's Brittany L. Smith Shines In Hit Netflix Series Sweet Magnolias

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Brittany L. Smith had another plan in mind for her future while attending Coral Reef High School in southwest Miami-Dade. The class of 2006 graduate was in the magnet school's political and criminal justice track.

"They did have a performing arts track, but I wanted to be a lawyer ever since I was a little girl," Smith recalls.

But in college, she realized her heart wasn't in the law.

A counselor homed in on her love of characters and fiction and suggested acting class.

She gave it a shot and found it to be fun, tough, and a perfect fit.

"It was the hardest I had ever worked it was the most tired I've ever been, and I couldn't wait to get back up and do it again that is when I knew being an actor was something I had to do," Smith said.

With a degree in theater performance, off to Atlanta, she went.

After hundreds of auditions, some small roles and a lot of heartaches, Brittany's big break came in 2019.

"I wasn't even going to audition for the show. I had been auditioning for so long by the time it came across my desk I thought 'oh they're not going to hire me for this, I might as well not even do it.' And a friend said that 'you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.' So, I did the audition, and they called me back!"

She landed a role on Netflix's smash hit series Sweet Magnolias.

"Once I got there and I saw the script and I saw the cast I was so surprised. I play Peggy Martin the deputy editor in chief of the paper. It takes place in the [fictional] town of Serenity, South Carolina," Smith said.

The role has been a real game-changer.

"Not only do I get to work with people that I grew up watching on television, but people are now reaching out to me and wanting me to audition for movies and television shows, which is really incredible and really amazing," she said.

Now living the dream, Smith credits her family for sticking by her all the while.

"There were times when I wanted to quit, there were times when I didn't believe in myself, and my parents were really there encouraging me and supporting me," Smith said.

Beaming with pride, Brittany's mom, Alicia Smith, said she should have seen it coming.

"Even at three years old, she would be singing and dancing for the family, when everybody came to visit, Brittany was the performer."

Seasons one and two of Sweet Magnolias is streaming now on Netflix.