 Payton attended and received her BFA in drama from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Payton got her start in the feature film "Flight of Fury" (2006), playing the female lead role of CIA agent Jessica opposite Steven Seagal.She was a junior in college while filming "Flight of Fury".In 2009, she made her off-Broadway debut, starring as the lead role of Savannah in "Savannah Black and Blue", produced by the Negro Ensemble Company.