Interview with Francia Raisa (Adrian, The Secret Life of the American Teenager)

July, 2008

When a studio decides to create a sequel to a popular movie, the end result isn't always favorable. Being a new actress in her first film role is difficult in itself, but imagine taking that role in a sequel to the highly successful movie Bring it On.

Francia Raisa wasn't afraid to take on that challenge. In fact, this lovely young actress then went on to star in yet another sequel to the '90s cult classic The Cutting Edge. Luck was on her side when both sequels met with good reviews and impressive ratings.

Francia's latest role in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager has also experienced an incredible amount of success. The series scored a second season renewal after only a few weeks on the air.

I had the pleasure of speaking with this absolutely fantastic young woman. Not only is she highly intelligent, but Francia is very down-to-earth and honestly as sweet and refreshing as they come. I don't think it'll be long before she becomes a household name!

Q: How long has acting been a part of your life?

Francia: "About three years now. I started when I was 16. One day I just said that I'm tired of this, I've been wanting to act my whole life, I've got to do something about it now or I think later it'll be too late."

Q: You starred in sequels to two big movies, were you worried about measuring up to the originals?

Francia: "Yes! Especially Bring it On since I personally was a fan of the movie. It's funny because when I saw the first one I thought, if only I was an actress, I would have done this movie. And then I did the third one, so I was very excited for myself. It was more of a challenge to make myself proud because I love Bring it On! I became a cheerleader because of it, so I really felt like I had to live up to it.

For The Cutting Edge, I know it was a very important movie, especially for figure skaters. I figure skated when I was younger, so I knew this had to be a bomb a** movie because everyone loves it."

Q: In The Cutting Edge 3, did you do all of your own skating scenes?

Francia: "We did a lot of the floor work, like the gliding and crossovers. The triple jumps and the crazy stunts that pairs do....I wasn't about to do that. We did do the cross in the first routine, so I was very proud of that."

Q: Have you had any memorable celebrity encounters?

Francia: "My most memorable one so far, and it's only because it's Angelina Jolie's dad, was Jon Voight. We were at the MTV Awards and he actually came up to my boyfriend and told him that he really enjoyed his work. I love, love Angelina Jolie. I was also a huge fan of Blossom and she came down to the set one time and I got really excited."

Q: Tell us about The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Francia: "It's about dealing with teen pregnancy and the relationship among teenagers."

Q: And your character on the show....

Francia: "Everyone considers her a slut, skank, trash, whatever you want to call her, but since I play her and I know her backstory, I see her as a very confident girl within herself. She likes to show it, she's a very studious girl who knows what she wants. She likes to have a good time. Her mom is always out of town, and when she's in town, all she wants to do is mess around with her little boyfriends, so she never gets any attention or love from her mom. She has no idea who her dad is, she's home alone half the time, has no friends and the only guy she seems to get a little love from is Ricky."

Q: You star with Molly Ringwald on the show, have you watched some of her classic '80s movies?

Francia: "People forgot my birthday last year, so Sixteen Candles really hit home. I was an '80s baby, so I watched her movies in the '90s. My sister and I are obsessed with Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. When I found out that I was working with her, I was like, 'Are you serious?! Molly Ringwald!' How funny is it that she played a pregnant teenager and now she's the mom of a pregnant teenager."

Q: Are you having fun with the cast?

Francia: "We're having so much fun, it doesn't even feel like work. We all got close really quick. We've known each other for three months, but it feels like we've known each other forever. Everyone gets along, there's a good energy around the place, no personal drama. We're all very excited for each other."

Q: Any projects in the works?

Francia: "I was supposed to be going back to Spain after the show wrapped to finish a movie I started last year, but we just got picked up for 13 more episodes, so I'm all booked up until January."

Q: Anything to say to the fans?

Francia: "I really want to thank them for all the support they've been giving me and the show. I appreciate them so much."

Q: Favorite TV Shows?

Francia: " America's Best Dance Crew, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives."

Q: Favorite Movies?

Francia: "Girl Interrupted, all Adam Sandler films, and Wanted.

Q: Favorite Sports Teams?

Francia: "Lakers."

Q: Favorite Comfort Food?

Francia: "Anything bad for you."

Q: What's on your iPod playlist?

Francia: " Leona Lewis."

Q: What's your ringtone?

Francia: "Listen from Beyonce."

Q: Facebook or MySpace?

Francia: "MySpace."