Prepare for an emotional and gripping journey when Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story premieres April 12, 2025, exclusively on Lifetime. Based on shocking true events, this powerful film follows Monique Smith (Yaya DaCosta), a woman who survives decades of abuse at the hands of the people she believed were her family—only to discover she was never related to them at all. As Monique uncovers the devastating truth, she embarks on a relentless quest to find her biological origins, facing legal battles, emotional turmoil, and the scars of her traumatic past. This heart-wrenching yet inspiring story explores themes of identity, resilience, and the unbreakable human spirit.

Directed with raw authenticity and featuring a powerhouse performance from Yaya DaCosta, Not My Family is more than a survival story—it’s a testament to one woman’s courage to reclaim her life. With a stellar supporting cast and a narrative that balances pain with hope, this Lifetime original is poised to spark important conversations about abuse, deception, and the meaning of family.

Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story Cast List

1. Yaya DaCosta as Monique Smith

Yaya DaCosta delivers a transformative performance as Monique Smith, capturing both the fragility of an abuse survivor and the steely determination of a woman reclaiming her identity. The actress spent months researching the real Monique’s case, even meeting with her to understand the psychological toll of discovering her non-biological family ties. DaCosta’s portrayal shines in quiet moments – the way her hands tremble while examining legal documents or how her voice cracks when asking “Who am I really?”

Her physical transformation throughout the film tracks Monique’s journey, from slumped posture in early abuse scenes to empowered stance during courtroom confrontations. The climactic DNA test scene, where DaCosta’s face cycles through shock, grief and dawning hope in a single unbroken take, is already generating award buzz. The actress insisted on performing all her own stunts for the abuse sequences to maintain authenticity, working with an intimacy coordinator to handle the difficult material safely.

2. Tiffany Black as Elizabeth

Tiffany Black brings terrifying nuance to Elizabeth, the maternal figure who weaponized Monique’s trust. Black studied psychological profiles of Munchausen syndrome by proxy cases to inform her character’s twisted caretaking. Her performance is most chilling when showing Elizabeth’s brief flashes of affection between cruel manipulations.

The dinner table scene where Elizabeth alternates between spoon-feeding Monique and whispering threats showcases Black’s masterful control. She developed Elizabeth’s distinctive mannerisms – particularly the way she taps her fingernails before delivering punishments – to create a visceral villain audiences will love to hate. Black worked closely with the director to ensure the abuse scenes maintained their impact without becoming exploitative.

3. Sir Brodie as Nelson

Sir Brodie’s Nelson is a study in passive complicity, his silence speaking volumes about the family’s dysfunction. The actor drew inspiration from real cases of bystander syndrome to craft Nelson’s conflicted body language – always hovering near conflicts but never intervening. His character’s hands are a particular focal point, constantly fidgeting with tools to avoid meaningful action.

Brodie’s most powerful moment comes when Nelson finally speaks up, his voice cracking with decades of suppressed guilt. The actor improvised Nelson’s habit of chewing toothpicks to show his nervous energy, with the number of toothpicks subtly increasing as his stress builds throughout the film. His final scene with DaCosta, where he tries to return a childhood toy, is devastating in its inadequacy.

4. Lauren Buglioli as Trinity

Lauren Buglioli brings grounded compassion to Trinity, the social worker who becomes Monique’s unlikely ally. The actress shadowed real caseworkers to perfect Trinity’s exhausted but determined demeanor, particularly the way she organizes files while maintaining eye contact during difficult conversations. Her performance highlights the systemic cracks that failed Monique.

Buglioli’s standout scene features Trinity angrily flipping through years of misplaced paperwork, her frustration boiling over at institutional failures. The actress worked with the props department to create authentic case files filled with handwritten notes showing Trinity’s repeated attempts to help. Her chemistry with DaCosta in their late-night diner scenes provides crucial moments of warmth amidst the darkness.

5. Djassi DaCosta Johnson as Yaya DaCosta

In a clever meta-casting choice, Djassi DaCosta Johnson plays the investigative journalist sharing the real Monique’s name. Johnson brings reporter’s intensity to scenes of digging through archives, her character’s manicured nails getting progressively dirtier as the investigation deepens. Her performance captures the thrill of investigative breakthroughs while maintaining appropriate gravity.

Johnson’s newsroom confrontations with editors doubting the story mirror real press battles over covering marginalized voices. The actress trained in journalistic research methods, learning how to authentically handle microfiche readers and database searches. Her character’s final monologue about truth and reconciliation delivers the film’s thematic punch.

6. Philip Fornah as Uncle Leroy

Philip Fornah’s Uncle Leroy represents the painful complexity of abusive systems – capable of small kindnesses while enabling larger horrors. The actor based his performance on interviews with survivors about their conflicted memories of “the nice one” in bad families. Leroy’s workshop becomes a symbolic space where temporary safety and looming threat coexist.

Fornah’s physicality shows Leroy’s internal divide – his gentle hands when whittling toys versus his clenched fists when arguments erupt. The actor developed Leroy’s backstory as a former musician to explain his character’s soulful but defeated demeanor. His final gift to Monique – a handmade music box playing a tune from her childhood – is the film’s most bittersweet moment.

7. Courtney Grace as Rubye

Courtney Grace’s Rubye provides crucial emotional oxygen as Monique’s lifelong friend. The actress built their friendship through improvised childhood memory scenes with DaCosta that informed their adult interactions. Grace’s performance shines in quiet support – the way she always has coffee ready or knows when to just listen.

Her character’s fashion choices subtly reflect Monique’s journey – early scenes show Rubye in bright colors contrasting Monique’s drab clothes, gradually shifting to match Monique’s emerging confidence. Grace’s real-life experience as a crisis counselor informed Rubye’s trauma-informed support techniques visible in their scenes together.

8. Robert III Hamilton as Jonathan

Robert III Hamilton brings bureaucratic realism to records clerk Jonathan, his performance highlighting how systemic failures often stem from mundane indifference. The actor developed Jonathan’s precise organizational habits – the way he aligns pens or straightens nameplates – to show his character’s compartmentalization.

Hamilton’s breakthrough scene features Jonathan noticing a discrepancy in files, his facial expressions tracking dawning horror at his own past oversight. The actor worked with a former records clerk to perfect the authentic frustration of navigating outdated filing systems. His character’s arc from obstruction to ally provides crucial narrative momentum.

9. Kadeem Isaiah as Angela Ray

Kadeem Isaiah’s Detective Ray channels righteous fury into procedural diligence. The actor trained with cold case investigators to master authentic interrogation techniques and evidence handling. His character’s personal connection to the case emerges through subtle tells – a photo he keeps angled away, a nervous throat-clearing when certain names arise.

Isaiah’s most powerful moment comes when he loses professional composure, slamming a case file while yelling “How was this missed?” The actor improvised Ray’s habit of chewing antacids to show the physical toll of the investigation. His partnership with Johnson’s journalist character provides satisfying investigative synergy.

10. Stacia as Anona Tolar

Stacia delivers haunting minimalism as Anona, a figure from Monique’s past holding key answers. The actress developed Anona’s respiratory issues from chain-smoking to explain her character’s raspy, measured speech patterns. Her performance is all about what’s withheld – the way she watches Monique without blinking or pauses just slightly too long before answering.

Stacia’s costume choices tell their own story – the gradual revelation of scars beneath her high-collared blouses, the religious medal she fingers when lying. Her character’s final confession scene was filmed in one agonizing seven-minute take, with Stacia’s voice breaking precisely on scripted syllables for maximum impact.

11. Caroline as Caroline

Newcomer Caroline makes every second count as Monique’s biological mother in their brief but shattering reunion. The actress studied footage of real long-lost family reunions to capture the awkward physicality – unsure whether to hug or shake hands. Her character’s trembling hands and darting eyes convey decades of guilt and hope.

Caroline worked with the makeup team to ensure her features subtly mirrored DaCosta’s, particularly in their shared nose shape and forehead wrinkles. Their silent car ride scene after the revelation – scored only by windshield wipers – may be the film’s most emotionally raw moment. The director intentionally limited their rehearsal time to preserve the scene’s authenticity.