Where You Know the Cast of Sweet Magnolias From
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VOICE OVER: Emily - WatchMojo
WRITTEN BY: Nathan Sharp
This is where you know the cast of “Sweet Magnolias” from. For this list, we'll be looking into the histories of the cast of Netflix's “Sweet Magnolias” and seeing what kind of work they've done in the past. Our countdown includes Jamie Lynn Spears, Chris Klein, Brooke Elliott, and more!
Now where have we seen these people before? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the cast of “Sweet Magnolias.”
For this list, we’ll be looking into the histories of the cast of Netflix’s “Sweet Magnolias” and seeing what kind of work they’ve done in the past.
#10: Dion Johnstone
Portraying Sullivan’s sous chef Erik Whitley is actor Dion Johnstone. Johnstone began his acting career back in 2000 playing a character named Natty Bookman in an episode of “So Weird.” Since then he has been credited in over 40 movies and television shows. That includes nine episodes of “Stargate SG-1,” ten episodes of “Ties That Bind,” and a leading role in the short-lived Nickelodeon series “Star Falls.” He has also appeared in various movies, playing a cop in “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” and Flight Engineer Timmins in “The Core.” Johnstone has even done a little Shakespeare, playing Caliban in “The Tempest” opposite Christopher Plummer.
#9: Al-Jaleel Knox
Knox plays Ty’s best friend Gabe Weatherspoon. Knox is a relative newcomer to the acting scene, making his first credited appearance in 2012. However, he has remained incredibly busy in that time, having accumulated over 20 acting credits. Many of them are one-off appearances in various television shows, including “The Vampire Diaries,” “Atlanta,” “Dynasty,” and “NCIS: New Orleans,” among others. His biggest pre- “Sweet Magnolias” role is that of LaShawn in The CW’s “Black Lightning,” appearing for three episodes in the show’s first season. Knox has also broken into mainstream blockbusters, playing Stoner Dude in 2018’s “Venom.”
#8: Logan Allen
“Sweet Magnolias” is Allen’s largest role to date, playing Maddie and Bill’s younger son, Kyle. Allen’s acting career began in earnest in 2015, when he played Cousin Vinnie in seven episodes of the Nickelodeon sitcom “Talia in the Kitchen.” That same year he appeared as himself in the season fourteen finale of “The Apprentice.” Since then Allen has played Kevin Ryan in the “Bernie the Dolphin” movie series. But it’s not all kid friendly ventures. In October 2019, Allen starred as Harold in the fourth episode of the Shudder horror anthology “Creepshow.”
#7: Carson Rowland
Speaking of Maddie and Bill’s sons, Rowland plays their eldest - a high school baseball pitcher named Ty. Rowland began acting in 2015, playing Riley Sturgis in five episodes of “Tweet: The Series,” which follows a teenager who is sent psychic tweets about her future. Following that, Rowland landed the biggest role of his short career, playing Cole Reyes in the Nickelodeon drama “I Am Frankie.” Rowland appeared in every episode of the show, but it came to an end in October of 2018. Immediately prior to “Sweet Magnolias,” Rowland starred as Will Hansen in three episodes of the ABC sitcom “American Housewife.” He has also dabbled in music, having uploaded various songs to his eponymous YouTube channel. It’s looking to be a very promising career.
#6: Jamie Lynn Spears
While Spears has always done her own thing, she will forever be known as Britney’s younger sister. Spears was at peak popularity throughout the 2000s, when she played main character Zoey Brooks on the Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101.” The series lasted from January 2005 to May 2008, spanning four seasons and 61 episodes. She also had a main role throughout the eighth and ninth seasons of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series “All That.” Spears disappeared from the public spotlight around 2008, as she had become pregnant at 16 by her then-boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. She has since returned to the entertainment world and now plays Noreen Fitzgibbons on “Sweet Magnolias.”
#5: Justin Bruening
Bruening, playing Cal Maddox, has a long and storied career in television. After modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch, Bruening was noticed by the casting director of “All My Children,” a soap opera that had been running since 1970. He began playing Jamie Martin and remained on the show for over 160 episodes spanning from September 2003 to August 2007. His role was critically acclaimed, and he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in 2005. Following that he landed the lead role of Mike Traceur in the NBC series “Knight Rider,” a sequel to the iconic 1982 series of the same name. Since then he has appeared in “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Switched at Birth,” and “Hawaii Five-0,” among many others.
#4: Chris Klein
Looking at Chris Klein will immediately throw you back to the early 2000s. He was one of the hottest actors around at the time thanks in large part to his role in the “American Pie” series. He appeared as Oz in the first two films but reportedly couldn’t make it to the “American Wedding” due to a scheduling conflict. Thankfully, he rejoined the team for 2012’s “American Reunion.” He appeared in many other movies around that time, including “Election,” “Rollerball,” and “Just Friends.” Klein has also done a lot of TV work in recent years, playing Drew in fifteen episodes of “Wilfred” and Orlin Dwyer throughout the fifth season of “The Flash.”
#3: Heather Headley
Playing Helen Decatur is Heather Headley, who is perhaps better known for her music career. Headley has two gold records under her belt, and in 2010 she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. She is also an acclaimed stage actress, having won both the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for her role in the Broadway production of “Aida.” In 2013 she was nominated for an Olivier Award for the West End production of “The Bodyguard.” As for screen acting, Headley has landed recurring roles on both Netflix’s “She’s Gotta Have It” and the NBC medical drama “Chicago Med.”
#2: Brooke Elliott
Elliott plays the owner of Sullivan’s restaurant, Dana Sue Sullivan. (xref) Her fictional daughter, Annie, is played by acting newcomer Anneliese Judge. Hopefully Judge’s career grows as prosperous as Elliott’s. Like Heather Headley, Elliott has enjoyed a fruitful career on the stage, starring in Broadway productions of “Taboo” and “The Pirate Queen” and national tours of “Wicked” and “Beauty and the Beast.” But perhaps her biggest claim to fame is playing lead character Jane Bingum in Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva.” The series spanned six seasons and 78 episodes between 2009 and 2014, and Elliott became the recipient of Gracie and Women’s Image Network Awards for her performance on the show.
#1: JoAnna Garcia Swisher
If you’re a fan of television, then chances are you’ve seen Swisher in something! She has been a television mainstay since 1992, and she has been credited in over fifty productions. Throughout the 90s she played Sam in the Canadian horror series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, Hallie in “Party of Five,” and Vicki in “Freaks and Geeks.” Throughout the 2000s she played Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery in “Reba,” Megan Smith in “Privileged,” and Bree in four episodes of “Gossip Girl.” Swisher was also quite productive throughout the 2010s, playing Ariel in “Once Upon a Time,” Sally in “The Mindy Project,” and Rachel in “Pitch.” In short, she’s been in a lot of great stuff, and “Sweet Magnolias” looks to continue that streak.
For this list, we’ll be looking into the histories of the cast of Netflix’s “Sweet Magnolias” and seeing what kind of work they’ve done in the past.
#10: Dion Johnstone
Portraying Sullivan’s sous chef Erik Whitley is actor Dion Johnstone. Johnstone began his acting career back in 2000 playing a character named Natty Bookman in an episode of “So Weird.” Since then he has been credited in over 40 movies and television shows. That includes nine episodes of “Stargate SG-1,” ten episodes of “Ties That Bind,” and a leading role in the short-lived Nickelodeon series “Star Falls.” He has also appeared in various movies, playing a cop in “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” and Flight Engineer Timmins in “The Core.” Johnstone has even done a little Shakespeare, playing Caliban in “The Tempest” opposite Christopher Plummer.
#9: Al-Jaleel Knox
Knox plays Ty’s best friend Gabe Weatherspoon. Knox is a relative newcomer to the acting scene, making his first credited appearance in 2012. However, he has remained incredibly busy in that time, having accumulated over 20 acting credits. Many of them are one-off appearances in various television shows, including “The Vampire Diaries,” “Atlanta,” “Dynasty,” and “NCIS: New Orleans,” among others. His biggest pre- “Sweet Magnolias” role is that of LaShawn in The CW’s “Black Lightning,” appearing for three episodes in the show’s first season. Knox has also broken into mainstream blockbusters, playing Stoner Dude in 2018’s “Venom.”
#8: Logan Allen
“Sweet Magnolias” is Allen’s largest role to date, playing Maddie and Bill’s younger son, Kyle. Allen’s acting career began in earnest in 2015, when he played Cousin Vinnie in seven episodes of the Nickelodeon sitcom “Talia in the Kitchen.” That same year he appeared as himself in the season fourteen finale of “The Apprentice.” Since then Allen has played Kevin Ryan in the “Bernie the Dolphin” movie series. But it’s not all kid friendly ventures. In October 2019, Allen starred as Harold in the fourth episode of the Shudder horror anthology “Creepshow.”
#7: Carson Rowland
Speaking of Maddie and Bill’s sons, Rowland plays their eldest - a high school baseball pitcher named Ty. Rowland began acting in 2015, playing Riley Sturgis in five episodes of “Tweet: The Series,” which follows a teenager who is sent psychic tweets about her future. Following that, Rowland landed the biggest role of his short career, playing Cole Reyes in the Nickelodeon drama “I Am Frankie.” Rowland appeared in every episode of the show, but it came to an end in October of 2018. Immediately prior to “Sweet Magnolias,” Rowland starred as Will Hansen in three episodes of the ABC sitcom “American Housewife.” He has also dabbled in music, having uploaded various songs to his eponymous YouTube channel. It’s looking to be a very promising career.
#6: Jamie Lynn Spears
While Spears has always done her own thing, she will forever be known as Britney’s younger sister. Spears was at peak popularity throughout the 2000s, when she played main character Zoey Brooks on the Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101.” The series lasted from January 2005 to May 2008, spanning four seasons and 61 episodes. She also had a main role throughout the eighth and ninth seasons of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series “All That.” Spears disappeared from the public spotlight around 2008, as she had become pregnant at 16 by her then-boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. She has since returned to the entertainment world and now plays Noreen Fitzgibbons on “Sweet Magnolias.”
#5: Justin Bruening
Bruening, playing Cal Maddox, has a long and storied career in television. After modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch, Bruening was noticed by the casting director of “All My Children,” a soap opera that had been running since 1970. He began playing Jamie Martin and remained on the show for over 160 episodes spanning from September 2003 to August 2007. His role was critically acclaimed, and he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in 2005. Following that he landed the lead role of Mike Traceur in the NBC series “Knight Rider,” a sequel to the iconic 1982 series of the same name. Since then he has appeared in “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Switched at Birth,” and “Hawaii Five-0,” among many others.
#4: Chris Klein
Looking at Chris Klein will immediately throw you back to the early 2000s. He was one of the hottest actors around at the time thanks in large part to his role in the “American Pie” series. He appeared as Oz in the first two films but reportedly couldn’t make it to the “American Wedding” due to a scheduling conflict. Thankfully, he rejoined the team for 2012’s “American Reunion.” He appeared in many other movies around that time, including “Election,” “Rollerball,” and “Just Friends.” Klein has also done a lot of TV work in recent years, playing Drew in fifteen episodes of “Wilfred” and Orlin Dwyer throughout the fifth season of “The Flash.”
#3: Heather Headley
Playing Helen Decatur is Heather Headley, who is perhaps better known for her music career. Headley has two gold records under her belt, and in 2010 she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. She is also an acclaimed stage actress, having won both the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for her role in the Broadway production of “Aida.” In 2013 she was nominated for an Olivier Award for the West End production of “The Bodyguard.” As for screen acting, Headley has landed recurring roles on both Netflix’s “She’s Gotta Have It” and the NBC medical drama “Chicago Med.”
#2: Brooke Elliott
Elliott plays the owner of Sullivan’s restaurant, Dana Sue Sullivan. (xref) Her fictional daughter, Annie, is played by acting newcomer Anneliese Judge. Hopefully Judge’s career grows as prosperous as Elliott’s. Like Heather Headley, Elliott has enjoyed a fruitful career on the stage, starring in Broadway productions of “Taboo” and “The Pirate Queen” and national tours of “Wicked” and “Beauty and the Beast.” But perhaps her biggest claim to fame is playing lead character Jane Bingum in Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva.” The series spanned six seasons and 78 episodes between 2009 and 2014, and Elliott became the recipient of Gracie and Women’s Image Network Awards for her performance on the show.
#1: JoAnna Garcia Swisher
If you’re a fan of television, then chances are you’ve seen Swisher in something! She has been a television mainstay since 1992, and she has been credited in over fifty productions. Throughout the 90s she played Sam in the Canadian horror series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, Hallie in “Party of Five,” and Vicki in “Freaks and Geeks.” Throughout the 2000s she played Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery in “Reba,” Megan Smith in “Privileged,” and Bree in four episodes of “Gossip Girl.” Swisher was also quite productive throughout the 2010s, playing Ariel in “Once Upon a Time,” Sally in “The Mindy Project,” and Rachel in “Pitch.” In short, she’s been in a lot of great stuff, and “Sweet Magnolias” looks to continue that streak.
