Beauty queen Franki Russell on being half-Pinay half-Kiwi, her first time at the Cannes Film Festival

"Oh my gosh, I feel like I'm living in a dream," exclaimed Frances "Franki" Russell, the lovely half-Filipina, half-Kiwi Miss Universe New Zealand when we talked to her at the Carlton Cannes Hotel in an exclusive interview during the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The charming 29-year-old actress-model told us, "I have been to Cannes five or seven years ago, but this is my first time at the Cannes Film Festival. So, I am happy to be here for the 77th."

Known for such films as "Ang Probinsyano (2015), "Laruan" (2022) and "Pabuya" (2022), Russell added of her Cannes experience so far, "I'm grateful to be here. I'm about to do my second red carpet. I feel like a princess. It's not only about the film industry, but also like its own fashion week. Fashion is everywhere and it's inspiring. So, it's very nice."

Russell, who was getting ready for her red carpet appearance at the premiere of the Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander movie "Rumours," was stunning in a billowy layered ballroom gown in pink with a black plunging neckline halter top custom-made for her by Filipino designer Harvey Cenit.

She said of her scene-stealing gown, "I feel so excited because it's made by a Filipino designer, Harvey Cenit. He made it from scratch and so fast. I can't commend him enough because we had to ship it from Dubai to Nice and here to Cannes. I'm so grateful just to be wearing it. It fits like a glove and I feel like I'm really making a statement."

Asked what she was looking forward to in Cannes and what she wanted to see or do, Russell said, "I think just being here amongst and surrounded by such inspiring, creative people that I look up to is amazing. I've been able to meet one of my girl crushes growing up. I met Selena Gomez a few days ago, and I got to speak to her, and I'm like, am I living in a dream? I grew up in a small town in New Zealand, so these experiences to me are not taken lightly. I'm like wow!"

Half-Filipina and half-Kiwi, Russell was born to a New Zealander-European father and a Filipina mother. She grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand.

We asked her how it was being biracial and growing up in New Zealand. She said, "So, I was born and raised in New Zealand. My mother is Filipina, so it's been a mix of backgrounds.

"I've always felt like I didn't know where I belonged. And as I'm nearing the end of my twenties, I've come full circle. I've lived in New Zealand, I grew up in New Zealand, I've experienced living in Manila in the Philippines and learning about my mother's culture. I feel like now it's intertwined with me into who I am today. I get to be both. You don't have to choose."

Russell moved to Sydney, Australia when she was 18 years old with her older brother and then moved to the Philippines in 2019 to work as a model and eventually became an actress.

Asked how Filipino she was, Russell admitted, "So, I grew up very Kiwi. But my mother would introduce the Philippines in small ways. She would make halo-halo. She had an ice machine at home. She would make leche flan, adobo.

"So, I've definitely tried things growing up, but it wasn't until I moved to Manila in 2019, and I did "Pinoy Big Brother," that's how I started. It was like a crash course into being Filipino. It's like eating balut (unhatched duck's egg) on live TV. It was like a roller coaster ride, but I would say I'm as much Filipina as I am New Zealander."

She added of her biracial upbringing, "I feel like it was the best of both worlds to grow up in a beautiful place like New Zealand, but also know that my mother is from the Philippines. So, I feel like I had the best of both cultures, and it wasn't till the latter part of my life that I learned about the Philippines. I'm grateful to work there and be a part of the industry there too."

We told her that she must have very understanding parents because not all Asian or Filipino parents allow their kids to join beauty contests or be an actress. She replied, "I feel like my mom is used to whatever turns I take in life. She's always rooting for me. She's my number one fan. She'll always share my things on her Facebook and she's proud. She still lives in New Zealand and at my hometown in Dunedin, so she's there and she's proud that I'm representing my father's country but I'm also a Filipina."

Russell said she is now "based in Manila for the last three or four years on and off. But during the pandemic, I went home to New Zealand and I was living there. So, every six months or so I try to go back to New Zealand. It's always home for me."

She confessed she feels like she is living her dream right now to be working as an actress in Manila. "It's amazing, and here I am, at one of the most prestigious events in the world, watching a world premiere."

She watched Cate Blanchett's movie, "Rumours" and said, "It was amazing. Her acting was out of this world. She got a four-minute standing ovation."

Asked what she learned being an actress in the Philippines, she said out, "I feel like I learned about working with different people, working with the Filipino people, they're the most helpful, fun, and creative. I learned that you have to have thick skin. If you audition and you don't get the roles that you thought you were going to have, it's not the end of the world. You just keep pushing through and be resilient. I think that's important."

When Franki Russell was a teenager in 2014, she applied for Miss Universe New Zealand and made it down to the final top 23.

The actress-model said, "But it didn't push through, and I feel like it's for reasons that I understand now.

"Here I am 10 years forward and I can say that I really feel like I know myself as a woman, and I've experienced life, and I've worked, and I've traveled, and that's made me who I am, and I feel like I'm now at the point where I can give back in charities. My advocacy is cyberbullying, and I feel like I'm ready to help others, and not just be in my selfish 20s. I'm excited for that."

She explained why she chose cyberbullying. "I chose cyberbullying because I feel like it's very prevalent in today's society. Social media has only been present in the last 10 years or so. But cyberbullying is prevalent.

"Cyberbullying is as bad as bullying face-to-face. It's just behind a screen.

"I think doing showbiz in Manila over the years, I did experience a little bit of that, and it opened my eyes to the people at home who don't have a voice or anyone to tell or feel like they're isolated. And the statistics are alarming in New Zealand for cyberbullying. You would be very shocked because when you think of New Zealand, you think only of the lush nature."

And why is joining the Miss Universe a dream come true for her, we asked.

"I feel like it's always been this luring dream in the back of my mind. I really thought it wasn't possible after I'm 29 (she is turning 30 on July 24). I passed the age limit a year or two ago and I thought when they lifted it, I thought, okay is this my tadhana (destiny)? Should I just go for it? And it happened!"

Managed by Dubai-based Filipino entrepreneur Josh Yugen, who also holds the Miss Universe franchises for New Zealand, Bahrain, Pakistan and Egypt, Russell is making history after being appointed as Miss Universe New Zealand 2024 because the country had a five-year hiatus in the beauty competition.

"I love being managed by Josh and his team!" Russell exclaimed. "They feel like family. I've known them for a few years since I met them."

They actually met in Dubai during the Miss Universe UAE. She said, "During the pandemic times, I feel like that's when things were so unsure. That's when a lot of connections were made, which led me to this very moment. So, I think everything happens for a reason."

Asked what she is looking forward to, Russell exclaimed, "I love my tagline on FPV was 'wandering stunner of New Zealand.' I feel like traveling is my passion and just being here in the south of France, eating French food. I'm just excited to see more of the universe."

Her motto in life?

"Everything happens for a reason. I have a tattoo on me, it's tadhana (destiny). It's my favorite Filipino word that I learned when I was living in Manila. It resonates with me and with my whole life's journey."

—MGP, GMA Integrated News

This article Miss Universe New Zealand Franki Russell on being half-Pinay half-Kiwi, her first time at the Cannes Film Festival was originally published in GMA News Online.