Schoolgirl star
Sixteen year-old Frankie Adams is the newest face to join the
cast of
Shortland Street, playing the role of
Maxwell's (Robbie Magasiva) estranged daughter Ula Levi. |
The pair haven't seen each other in years, so when Ula arrives on
her dad's doorstep, Maxwell is hopeful he will be able to reconnect
with his girl.
Samoan-born Adams was attending Auckland Girls Grammar School when
she found out she had landed the part.
"It was kind of freaky when I found out. In fact, I didn't even
really believe my agent at first," says Adams. "The first people I
told were my best friends and my mum. It was pretty exciting. They
were all really stoked, probably more excited than me
actually!"
Relatively new to the acting circuit, Adams says her onscreen
parents,
Robbie Magasiva
and
Teuila Blakely
, have
helped her to learn the ropes.
"They're two of my favourite people. They've guided me along so
much. They're also both incredibly funny, which in turn, makes the
job really fun," explains Adams. "There's so many good people at
Shortland Street. I was instantly made to feel
welcome and supported by everyone."
A fan of the show for years, Adams describes meeting her fellow
cast members as quite a strange experience.
"I remember when I first started I was talking to Amanda Billing,
who was in costume as Sarah Potts, and I remember thinking how
strange it was talking to 'Sarah Potts'. But you do get over that
'wow' factor quite quickly," laughs Adams.
When asked to describe her character, Adams believes Ula has a lot
to learn.
"Ula is young, but she thinks she knows a lot more than she
actually does. She's often got her guard up, and I guess because of
her background she finds it quite hard to trust people. She's got a
lot of support around her, but she doesn't really realise that yet.
Hopefully she'll start using that support to her advantage."
Frankie's making quite a splash as Ula - catch her in
action Weeknights 7pm TV2. And remember if you miss an episode you
can
watch it FREE with TVNZ
Ondemand.
