Interview by Violeta Nicola
Photography by Ryan West
Francesca is an American actress from upstate New York. She was adopted at a young age and raised within a LGBT household with two moms. She is also a classically trained musician from Berklee College of Music and Bard College. She can currently be seen starring in the Disney+ anthology series Goosebumps.
Can you share your journey into acting? What first inspired you to start?
I started in musical theater when I was a kid. One of my moms was on broadway in the 70’s, and I was a fiend for Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (which I’ve now played twice, thanks mom!). I actually stopped acting around 13 – and became a classical guitarist instead. And then I discovered Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, and my favorite Barb Dylan. Yes, he is a Barb. And then I got my folk songwriting degree. Idk.
ANYWAY – I auditioned for a film called Romeo and Juliet, to play Juliet, while I was still in college, and got Juliet, and then that premiered at Sundance and SXSW and thennnnn… wow it’s been a while. Some other stuff happened like Goosebumps! And now I live in Los Angeles with my cat. What a fairytale <3
You are also a classically trained musician from Berklee College of Music and Bard College. Do you hope to incorporate this side of you within your acting career in the future?
YES. I secretly, ahahaha it’s no secret, have always wanted to do a movie musical of some sort? I was almost in many of them: Maria in West Side Story, Snow White in Disney’s Snow White (is that out yet?), Lucy Gray Baird in the latest Hunger Games. This industry is tough to break into sometimes. And I reeeeallllyy want to be an animated singing character, even if it’s just a toad. I’d love a toad. I’m considering writing a film musical right now… something fucked up and rated hard-R, but I don’t think that’s up the alley of those ones I listed above. But yes I’d love to be in one. Does that answer your question?
Fans will be able to see you in the upcoming season of “Goosebumps”. What can they expect from your character?
ALEX IS: an ex-con, an asshole, queer, wears power-jumpsuits!!!, got great hands, fights shit. She is power, she is beauty, she will kick you in the face as long as it doesn’t hurt her ankle monitor because she’s on probation and her mom is an NYPD detective. Yikes.
Growing up, were you a fan of the original “Goosebumps” stories?
I was! I read them in the dark recesses of the library, alone, probably. I grew up the bff of every horror/paranormal romance/comic/smut (lol) book character. Goosebumps was so satisfying to me, I loved how realistic and normal the characters were, and how outlandish the monsters. I am still addicted to monsters.
What was your reaction when you found out you got the role on the show?
I cried and called my moms. They were very knowing? Actually? They had already been looking for apartments at the shooting location (without bathtubs, which was really the worst part) and whenever they brought that up I would hang up on them. So it was really nice to not hang up on them for once.
Did you do any preparation for your role in “Goosebumps”? Do you have a specific routine for each character you take on?
OH YES. I worked out!!!!!! I grinded!!!! Ground? Alex was a very emotionally heavy character – being Latina (like me) being in Brooklyn (where I was born and my family is from) and dealing with the prison system as a brown girl AND coming of age as a queer girl did have me on therapy, weekly. Sometimes multi-daily, if we’re being honest. I’m really honored to have been able to give voice to her, because we NEED to hear more stories like hers. Because although Alex was physically and mentally in a rough spot, she triumphs better than I’ve seen most characters do. She’s a god damn fighter. She took all of that and like, lit it on fire and roasted marshmallows on it. Like, how fucking cool. How awesome of Disney to celebrate that, and let her be so fully her? Representation is always important, and for me Alex was a beacon of the kind of representation I wish I had as a kid. She’s not something to be scared of, she’s the winner. She fights monsters.
Nah I don’t have a specific routine it just comes about when you crawl into their skin. I’ll… leave that there.
You also starred as Juliet in the 2021 film R#J. The story is told in such a unique way. How did it feel to portray such a known character through such a modern lens?
Juliet killed me. She was so beautiful and I’m so sad no one got to see that her and love her like I did. I think about her so so, what that would’ve been like for audiences to see. She meant the most to me that few characters probably will, but also that’s a lie because Alex was super meaningful but in a different way and I think I tend to pick characters like that. Anyway. She was… my everything. (Author’s note: if that movie ever comes out I was a kid and yeah my performance is… shut up.) Growing up, I did NOT have representation. I grew up in a PWI – primarily white community. I was weirdly othered. And the media I consumed, had around me, was NOT me. It was rough. So when Juliet came I felt seen and more powerful than I literally ever thought was possible. She made me feel beautiful. She gave me Shakespeare. Actually: I held a collection of his works like a Linus blanket when I was in high school. My fave was Titania from a Midsummer Night’s Dream. For this film, the modernization of it didn’t matter to me, what mattered was that it had finally arrived. A black and brown cast, doing Shakespeare, in a feature film, helmed by a black person. That didn’t feel modern, it felt late.
In the future, what other types of stories do you hope to be a part of? Is there any specific
type of character you hope to portray?
YES. CAN I ANSWER every question with all caps OK. So. SUPERHEROES, fairies, people who cry, people with drama, a24, neon, Margot Robbie, Anne Hathaway, Anne Hathaway in Love and Other Drugs, yelling scenes, fighters, bulking, quiet little indie serial killer like she’s a psycho but it’s kinda hot? Alternatie realities!! PRINCESSES, ahahaha this is all NOTHING like Alex, Christopher NOLAN, twisty little narratives yorgos lanthimos-
I also write. I’m a screenwriter. I have a greek god project that’s in development right now. So you’ll get all those characters one way or another, sorry.
Who are some creatives (actors, movie directors, writers etc.) you would love to collaborate with in the future?
Oh whoops
Ok more?
Alan Tudyk
Jason Mantzoukas
Jason Bateman
Ruth Langmore (“Savor’nt”)
KOGONADA
Laika – I want to write/direct one
Florence Pugh as a Scientist in a Horror I’m Writing
Pixar
More Disney
DCEU. Yeah.
I’d love to do a video game I love fallout
This is like a Christmas list this is so fun
Henry Cavill – almost was in Voltron with him boooooo as a cool space princess double booo I woulda killed that
Idris Elba
GREATA GERWIG
Ayo Edebri
Brit Marling!!
That’s all I can fit sorry
You have such an interesting life story. What is your advice for young people looking to follow in your footsteps?
Please say no. Know your worth. Trust your gut. You can do hard things, and sometimes you will have to do them alone. Have boundaries, and be kind to yourself and others.
What are some causes that are dear to your heart and you hope to bring awareness to in
the future?
I am a type 1 diabetic and I hate all insurance companies and PBM’s. Fuck CVS. Fuck prescription drug prices. I do support rebuilding coral reefs and the forest school education of Los Angeles toddlers (This sounds like I’m trying to be funny, but I’m not. I worked for an organization that teaches wilderness survival to little kids, and it’s actually amazing at promoting plant-based empathy. That’s the most LA thing I’ve ever said). The diabetes thing and accessibility to people with disabilities is probably my biggest issue. This world is really hard for people with disabilities. I’d love to see more people getting curious and furious about that.
Well, this was a deeply unserious interview. Thanks for having me.
