Timie Yancey always knew her daughter loved to perform.
"There was no way we could deny it — from birth she has entertained," Yancey said.
Still, Hendrix Yancey's journey from success on the Arkansas pageant circuit to a role on a scripted series has been a whirlwind for the Benton family, according to her mother.
Hendrix, who turned 6 in August, will appear on a new show called Versus, which will be available this month on the app and website for go90, Verizon's free entertainment-streaming platform geared at teens and tweens.
According to The Drum magazine, a publication that covers marketing and advertising news, the show is Gatorade's first scripted series and was produced by AwesomenessTV. The six-episode series reportedly focuses on two rival female lacrosse players.
Yancey said that Hendrix plays one player's niece.
Hendrix's path to Los Angeles started in January, when Timie Yancey's friend who works as an agent encouraged her to get her daughter in the industry.
Yancey was hesitant, she said. She had heard of horror stories of people losing money on scams and knew how it took most young actors years to break through.
But she still made profiles for Hendrix on some websites that casting directors use.
"Let's just give it a shot," Timie Yancey said she remembered thinking.
By March, Hendrix had booked a role in a short student film out of California State University, Long Beach, about imaginary friends. Figment is currently in post-production.
While filming Figment and living part-time in Los Angeles, the Yanceys got connected with Gray Studios, a drama school with a hub in that city. One of the owners encouraged Hendrix to put together a reel highlighting her strengths — in one demo, she appears alongside Chris Colfer, who portrayed Kurt on the hit Fox series Glee — and to look for an agent.
Hendrix performed in front of dozens of agents and talent managers at the school's showcase in June.
She finished her scenes about 9 p.m., but since parents weren't allowed to be in the room, Timie Yancey wasn't sure how her daughter did. Less than four hours later, Hendrix had her first call from an agent.
Her mother said they stopped counting calls after 30.
"Our lives stopped," Timie Yancey said. "It was like a college recruitment, but for your 5-year-old."
Now, Hendrix shares a manager with Modern Family actress Ariel Winter, Yancey said. They plan to return to Los Angeles in January for more auditions.
When she's back in Arkansas, Yancey said, Hendrix keeps busy with acting lessons via Skype and video auditions but still enjoys being a kid — dressing up in tutus and playing on the tire swing.