Alecsys Proctor-Turner joins Shelf

Alecsys Proctor-Turner is the kind of performer who brightens every room she enters

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, and now based in NYC, you’ll likely recognize Alecsys Proctor-Turner as Nala, fashion school student and assistant to Michelle Buteau’s Mavis in season 2 of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest. A proud Bahamian-American artist and the daughter of Tara D. Turner, Alecsys found her voice as a child and has been using it ever since—be it singing, acting, writing, or teaching. She holds a BFA in Music Theatre from the University of Miami and an MFA in Acting from Columbia University, where she studied under the legendary Ron Van Lieu.

Alecsys’ light shines bright on and off the screen, and her artistry is grounded in honoring her own roots, while amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities. Lucky for us, today she’s here to share some of the different media that’ve shaped her into one of our favorite Gen-Z actresses.

ShelfMAG: If you could rewrite the ending to any movie, what would you change?

@alecsysjianni: This question stumped me. forreal. But honestly? I wish all the friends in Set it Off made it out. Selfishly, I want that. But keep Cleo's car scene in the movie because it's epic, just let her escape... somehow. I want them alive, sitting by the water and talking from a healed perspective about what they went through together. You know?

ShelfMAG: What song do you think your friends or casemates associate with you?

@alecsysjianni: "Hello Morning" by Jamie Woods. I used to do a daily coffee/matcha instastory and that would be the song on it. Im in a friend group filled with morning people.

ShelfMAG: Who’s your ultimate comfort character?

@alecsysjianni: Princess Tiana from Princess and the Frog. Period. No explanation needed haha

ShelfMAG: What album would you consider your 2025 anthem and why?

@alecsysjianni: Janelle Monae's The Age of Pleasure. No skips, and I feel sexy and happy when I listen to it. 2025 is my season to really unlock my light and my joy. And to have the capacity to share it with the world. This album gives me that. And honestly, all I want to do is dance.

ShelfMAG: The item on your shelf most likely to stay there forever?

@alecsysjianni: Living Single, definitely. The show is must rewatch every year. It made me fall in love with comedy and acting. And also woah being black in your twenties and in nyc should be romanticized like that. It's filled with laughs, romance, real problems, and true friendship.

Curious about what else Alecsys is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/alecsysjianni