Everything Girl

Our cover girl this month Francia Raisa (born Francia Raisa Almendárez), is a hot Latin firecracker who can add a little spice to your life. This beautiful, warm-hearted young woman has taken the first steps on the road to super-stardom recently, by starring in the ABC TV movie The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream and now the new ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Achieving stardom in Hollywood for a Latina is a tall order when most starlets are of the stick-thin, blue-eyed, blonde, vapid California-Girl variety, it can be an uphill battle for anyone who breaks that mold even when you’re a curvy, doe-eyed, raven-haired, exotic Latin bombshell.

“Francia may be young (20) but she is nobody’s fool, intelligent, articulate, and down-to-earth, her up-beat attitude and natural effervescence are contagious.”

In Francia’s new series on ABC The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which débuts Tuesday July 1, she plays a bad-girl, Adrian Lee, trying to be good. However when her equally bad-boy boyfriend, Ricky Richardson (played by Daren Kagasoff) gets fellow student and decidedly nice girl Amy Juergens (played by Shailene Woodley) pregnant, that seems a far off dream. The series revolves around the lives of the eight teenagers and their family’s who are either directly or indirectly affected by this teenage pregnancy. The series also stars big name grown-up stars like John Schneider and Molly Ringwald, and looks set to be this summer’s runaway favourite family drama.

But don’t think Francia has anything in common with her on-screen persona. This compact ball of fire is anything but a bad girl. Francia attended the prestigious private Catholic high school Bishop Alemany in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles. While there she excelled at dance – tap, jazz, hip-hop, and Polynesian style dance – acrobatics, karate and figure skating. As high school progressed, so did her career as she took on modelling jobs, commercials and even had a few bit parts in sitcoms. She was so busy that she was forced to leave Bishop Alemany for her senior year, due to its very strict attendance policy, and transferred to a public school, Birmingham high school in Van Nuys, which allowed her to have the scheduling flexibility her fledgling career demanded. Since graduating her career has gone from strength to strength.

Francia may be young (20) but she is nobody’s fool, intelligent, articulate, and down-to-earth, her up-beat attitude and natural effervescence are contagious. I recently spent some time with this up and coming Latin beauty. We talked about life, hot men, growing-up Latina in a racists world, abortion, and of course her new show.

So tell me about your new show The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Well basically it’s about the relationship’s between teenagers at school and dealing with teen pregnancy.

Are you going to be a pregnant teen?

No I’m not pregnant but the girl who does get pregnant gets pregnant by my boyfriend. Well he’s my boyfriend but he’s not, we’re more like best friends. But I really don’t like the fact that she’s pregnant so I try to convince her that she doesn’t have to.

So you try to talk her into having an abortion? Wow, that’s a very controversial subject for an ABC family drama.

I know, but for me I need him so badly in my life and I feel like if she has the baby, or goes through with the pregnancy, then he’s not going to want to be with me anymore.

So as a Catholic, how did you feel about playing a character who is encouraging someone to have an abortion?

I hadn’t really thought about that. I don’t agree with it but because I’m acting I’m not taking it too seriously.

When I was growing-up Molly Ringwald was the coolest person in the world. I so wanted to be her. Can you tell me what she is like in person?

She is a really nice girl. I barely met her for the first time yesterday and we hung out together in my trailer and it was fun.

Who plays your parents in the show?

There’s a lady named Paola [Turbay] and my dad… I don’t really know who my father is but by the time the show ends I will find out who it is.

Are you close to your real family?

Now that I’m away from home I’m a lot closer to them. And I am a lot closer to my mom.

Is your family important to you?

You know I’m starting to learn that they are. When I was young I used to say “I hate my mom, I hate my dad, I hate everyone.” And now that I’m older I have learned to appreciate them.

Your mother is Mexican and your father is Honduran, do you think that made it more difficult for you, growing-up in the Los Angeles?

No actually. It wasn’t till I got to high school that I saw it have any affect on my life. The Hispanics hung-out with the Hispanics, The Asians hung-out with the Asians, everyone had their little cliques. That opened my eyes.

A.L. Harper is a freelance writer and motorbike fanatic originally from Salt Lake City, Utah but now living in Scotland. In edition to being the Managing Editor for All Things Girl, A.L. is the Assistant Music Editor for Blogcritics.org and a freelance writer for hire.

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