A 'Sweet Magnolias' role; promise as a dancer and artist: This young actor is living her dreams

Even The Graces, mythological goddesses of beauty and charm, might just be impressed with another Grace: Ella Grace Helton, a Brevard actor who, at 11, dazzles with seemingly boundless talent.

Ella, who's popped up on everything from Disney and Gerber Life commercials to movies to a Netflix series over the past few years, aims to excel at everything she does — and she seems to do everything.

A SAG-AFTRA actor with a manager in Los Angeles and a team of agents in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Florida, she has a recurring role in the third season of the hit Netflix series “Sweet Magnolias,” a show now shooting its fourth season.

In May 2023, Ella wrapped her first lead movie role in “Chosen Family,” a 2024 romantic comedy written, directed and starring Heather Graham.

The daughter of Lee Nessel and Brandon Helton of Melbourne, the young actor bubbles over talking about her on-screen work.

"It just come naturally, I've been doing it for eight years, so I'm used to it," she said from the trailer on the set of "Sweet Magnolias."

"If I could do acting daily, I so would. I like being on set and getting treated like I'm a professional and I love meeting new people. It's like playing with my Barbie dolls, but they're real people I get to work with, which is fun."

Starting early — and big

That fun started early for Ella, who made her Broadway debut at age 5 in the national touring troupe of “Waitress." At 6, she starred opposite Adam Sandler in Netflix’s “Hubie Halloween." At that same age, she joined veteran performers Jane Curtin and Will Sasso as part of the cast of regulars on ABC sitcom “United We Fall" — an almost unheard-of accomplishment at 6.

Ella’s parents know the exact moment they knew their daughter was destined to perform.

“We have a 34-second video of it,” Nessel said.

“She had recently turned 3 and was performing with her musical theater class in a showcase for family and friends. It was her first time on a stage, and it was a dance number, but she belted out the song, too. Her teacher had to come escort her off stage since she kept bowing and waving, soaking up the applause.”

She's business-minded, too

Ella is also an entrepreneur: By age 5, she had launched a jewelry business to raise money for The Children’s Hunger Project, which gets weekend food to kids across Brevard County.

Ella can draw and paint, too, and has gone pro. The youngest member of the Brevard Cultural Alliance, Ella sells her artwork at The Sweet Heartist in Suntree and Eau Gallery in Melbourne, and her website, ellasartshop.com, and is the youngest artist in the county to have work juried and accepted by the Arts in Public Places Committee. Her detailed pieces are on display at Urban Prime, and she has been a part of the Viera restaurant’s art and music festivals.

She sings, she's a competitive ballroom dancer, she plays the guitar and the piano — is there anything this kid can’t do? Well, it’s not filmmaking, because Ella is as much a natural behind the camera as she is in front of it.

Her free time on film and TV sets was wisely spent shadowing directors. A course on Scriptwriting 101, together with the industry standard scriptwriting software her parents provided her, led to two short films which have wowed film festival audiences and judges alike.

Her second film, "The Muralist,” premiered at the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival in 2023, where it not only was the movie included in the VIP program but also won the “Spirit of the MIFF Award.” Among several other kudos received, “The Muralist” earned honorable mention at the Miami Short Film Festival and a silver medal and People’s Choice at the Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival. It also earned second place in the secondary student film category at the Treasure Coast International Film Festival.

Ella is the youngest recipient of the Sara Fuller Scholarship, jointly funded by Film Florida and Women in Film and Television Florida. The scholarship, which supports future filmmakers, is typically aimed at high school students.

“I look forward to seeing this young powerhouse grow as a filmmaker,” said John Lux, executive director of Film Florida.

“Her future is bright with endless professional possibilities. Ella Grace has shown a great willingness to listen and learn along with her desire to take on various roles as her evolution as a filmmaker grows."

What’s the best thing she's learned from working with professionals in TV and film?

"Have fun with it," Ella said. "Don't always be so strict or hard on yourself."

And her parents encourage that line of thought.

"It's been fun to see Ella so comfortable walking the red carpet and hanging with people we've watched in movies and read about in the media," Nessel said.

"She's such a natural with it all, just happy to be among fellow creatives — her people. From the beginning, I've seen her embody her middle name: Grace. She is so like me in many ways, yet so different with her love of performing and being in front of an audience. I'm a behind-the-scenes person and she's all 'Look at me!'"

A full calendar takes mega-planning

While Ella's parents encourage her many interests, because those passions are so many, they operate under precision scheduling.

Traditional school does not offer the flexibility the family needs to accommodate Ella’s acting schedule, so she is homeschooled. Nessel also tapped onto teachers, mentors and coaches in the various disciplines her daughter excels at.

“We are so fortunate to have the most talented people we could find anywhere, right here in Brevard,” she said.

Nessel drives Ella to weekly art, dance and music lessons. There are voice, guitar, piano, aerial silk classes, strength and conditioning sessions. On weekends, there are races to be run.

“We do most of those as a family,” Nessel said.

“She also takes American Sign Language virtually, in addition to her homeschooling with Florida Virtual School classes. And she loves taking classes at Brevard Zoo.”

Keeping up with Ella, for Nessel, involves — in addition to chauffeur services — creating the content and responding to Ella's followers on social media; updating her website and professional materials for acting; working with her to memorize her lines; and being her reader for self-tape auditions.

That’s a full-time job for a mom, but Nessel also edits a local publication and works as a publicist for an Atlanta-based PR firm.

Brandon Helton, a software engineer who works remotely, keeps everything running on the home front, joining his wife and daughter when he can, especially on longer jobs.

"We are fortunate that he is able to come with us and work from where Ella works, just like me," Nessel said. "It's so much better for Ella to have the family unit around her, and we have tons of adventures."

So many interests, so much fun

Well aware of the vagaries of the acting life, Ella’s parents are delighted that she has so many other interests, even though she still declares making people laugh and feel good through her acting as her most favorite activity.

“She has a long list of long-term goals some may roll their eyes at, but I know she's serious and I know most of it is probably attainable,” Nessel said.

“If Ella winds up being one of those kids who can't get to spend as much time on sets as she'd like, she can continue her filmmaking, sing on any stage and write as many songs and make as much art as she wants. She can have a plan B, C, D, E, F, and so on. If she's doing this at 11, what is to come?”

For Ella, the future's a blank canvas filled with ... name it, from sports to sketching to online games with her friends.

"I'd like to try ice skating at some point, and I've never tried tennis," she said. "I love fashion and I'd love to design clothing."

And in the meantime, she doesn't take for granted the big things unfolding for her right now.

"My favorite project of mine to watch is 'Sweet Magnolias,'" Ella said.

"I think it's so cool to see myself on screen, and I'm sometimes in awe that I even did it. It's a thrill to see myself. I love everyone I work with, and I couldn't wait to come back and shoot Season 4. I love coming to work every day!"

Maria Sonnenberg is a Brevard-based freelance travel and lifestyles writer.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard actor, 11, on Netflix series role: 'A thrill to see myself'