She’s tall and fair and young and lovely — and very sexy.
She’s a Virgo (Sept. 17, 1982) and if you want to really know her, check out her horoscope.
She stands 5’10”, weighs 145 lbs. and is a real head-turner at 36-26-36.
Does that make Francine Prieto (Ana Marie Falcon) a prized catch?
Definitely — but, be forewarned, she’s not easy to bag.
“Am I pihikan (choosy)?” she asked, and herself answered, “Yes, I can be.”
She can make people laugh (as she did week after week on the GMA 7 sitcom, Bahay Mo Ba ‘To until it closed three Tuesdays ago and in the ongoing GMA gag show Bubble Gang) but if you, well, go beyond the limits, she can grow fangs and not use them but kill you instead with kindness. The perils of Francine.
She can be enjoyed by kids (in her TV comedies) as well as by adults (in her movies, the latest of which, Seiko Films’ Silip, shows her au naturel in a love scene with Polo Ravales).
She loves to teach and, if time and her tight schedule permit, Francine plans to resume her studies and take up B.S. Education.
But she doesn’t have to be in a classroom to teach people a thing or two about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees, does she?
How does it feel to be sexy?
“Okay lang.”
What part of you do people look at first?
“Guess what. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
Don’t you feel kind of “violated” when men couldn’t keep their eyes off your body?
“I’m used to it. I’m sexy only in the movies but not on TV shows because, even if I may be ‘For Adults Only’ in movies, on TV I’m ‘GP’ (General Patronage). And also, when I go out, I make sure that I’m in decent clothes.”
Has anybody ever made advances at you — you know, tried to touch you?
“So far, none. Knock on wood! That’s why when I go out, I dress properly, ‘yung hindi kabastos-bastos na suot. Even if you’re not a sexy star, if you go out in a revealing dress, you attract unpleasant attention. Babastusin ka talaga ng mga guys. And you can’t really blame them.”
Other sexy stars are not treated as nicely as you are.
“But there was an incident during the last election campaign when I confronted a group of guys who were laughing at me and trying to take my pictures with their cell phones from below while I was onstage singing. Feeling ko binabastos ako. I kept my cool and invited one of them onstage to sing along with me. He refused. But he and his companions continued laughing and laughing while taking my picture. I was on the brink of tears. I threatened to confiscaste their cell phones but they went on just the same. My mom came to my rescue. She approached the guys and grabbed their cell phones to check. By then, kung anumang masamang pictures ang nakuha nila, they had already deleted them.”
I suggest that you take martial-arts lessons just in case, you know...
“I will, one of these days.” (Adding half-jokingly) “O, kayong mga walang matinong magawa dyan, mag-ingat kayo!”
Is it hard to maintain a body like yours?
“Not really. I was lucky to be born with big bones. The sad thing is that if I eat a lot, mabilis akong lumaki.”
What food do you avoid?
“I just started to go on a diet. I avoid softdrinks and I eat less rice. I don’t eat when I’m not hungry. I avoid dinner. I also plan to work out again soon.”
You’re young and don’t really need it yet. But what can you say about people who resort to surgical enhancement (retoke)?
“I’m glad I don’t need it yet. But I have nothing against people who undergo such surgery. You know, people are lucky now that things like that are available. If you feel lazy working out or if you don’t want to go on a diet and you can afford it, you just go to a beauty clinic and your problem is solved.”
You’ve done some movies and some TV shows. Which of your performances are you most proud of?
“I guess my role as Jingle on Bahay Mo Ba ’To?. In the sitcom, tatanga-tanga si Jingle and I got good feedback for my performance. It’s a good thing that in real life, people don’t think that I am tatanga-tanga.”
You were very good in that sitcom, I must say.
“That’s why I really felt sad when the show ended.”
You’re a sexy comedienne, like Rufa Mae Quinto. Some people say that you’re trying to copy Rufa Mae. Is there maybe a silent rivalry between the two of you?
“I don’t think I’m trying to copy Rufa Mae. She has her own style and I have my own style. Rufa Mae Quinto is Rufa Mae Quinto. She’s very good at what she’s doing. We’re together on Bubble Gang and, as I’ve said, may kanya-kanya kaming style.”
Who’s your sexy-comedienne role model?
“Cameron Diaz, especially in There’s Something About Mary. I’d love to do the same roles she’s doing. And also, Kate Hudson.”
Have you ever been sexy since you were a child?
“Well, yes. I started modeling at age 13 but I looked big for my age. I was bigger than other girls my age.”
Do you know that many people think that you’re a snob (suplada)?
“Yes, I know. But once they get to know me, they change their impression about me. You see, I’m basically shy. I’m not outgoing; I don’t usually make the first move. Hindi ako ‘yung unang nambabati. Nahihiya ako, eh! I’ve been like that since I was small.”
I guess it’s because of your strong, mestiza features.
“My biological father was Norwegian whom I never saw until he died six years ago according to a research done by Startalk. His name was Jarl Jensen. I was only a few months old when he and my mom separated. He married another Filipina and I was told that they had a child only after 10 years. But all the while daw, they were looking for me but they couldn’t find me because I had already been adopted by my stepfather and I’d been using his surname (Falcon). My stepfather is a good person; he treats me like his own child.”
Have you always wanted to be an actress?
“Yes. When I was a kid, in 1988, I joined the Little Miss Philippines contest on Eat, Bulaga! I won once but I never reached the finals. It’s the same contest where Aiza Seguerra and Gladys Reyes competed. Since then, I joined several other contests — Elite Model Look in 1995, Bodyshot in 1996, Bb. Pilipinas a few years ago and another one in Thailand where I finished second runner-up. I guess showbiz is my destiny.”
So far, so good.
“I don’t want to be just a sexy comedienne. I want to try all kinds of roles so that I will grow as an actress.”
What’s your sexiest movie role so far?
“The most that I’ve done is breast exposure. But I haven’t done and I don’t think I’ll ever do frontal nudity.”
Do you set limits in your love scenes?
“Hmmmm. You know, sa Seiko kasi walang limits, eh. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! But I’m lucky that when I got in, Seiko had changed its image at medyo tame na ng konti.”
Have you ever encountered an actor who took advantage of you during the shooting of a love scene?
“None, so far. They wouldn’t dare! Ang laki ng katawan ko and I think they’re scared of even trying to do it. Just joking. Actually, I’m lucky that all my leading men are gentlemen. May respeto sa leading ladies nila.”
How’s your love life?
“I have none.”
You’re being linked to Philip Cu-Unjieng (STAR columnist)...
“Ngeeek! Philip has been my friend for a long time. Napagkakamalan lang kaming mag-’on.’ Besides, we come from different worlds.”
What qualities do you want in a guy?
“First, he must have a pleasing personality. He must understand my profession and accept me for what I am, and not try to change me. Of course, he must be someone able to support himself at hindi umaasa sa magulang. But I’m not looking for that kind of guy. If he comes, even if you don’t look for him, he will come.”
What should a guy do to win your heart?
“When it comes to courtship, I am old-fashioned. Ayoko ng mga dinner-dinner date. I want the guy to visit me at home so that my parents will get to know him. But these days, isn’t it hard to find an old-fashioned guy? Iba na ang mga lalaki ngayon, di ba?”
As you said, you’re a big girl, literally. Maybe you intimidate the guys?
“Feeling ko nga, plus the fact that hindi ako ganoon ka-friendly kaya nag-aalangan sila sa akin.”
How do you deal with fresh guys or DOMs (Dirty Old Men)?
“Politely. In a nice way. ‘Yung hindi sila mababastos. Otherwise, baka bastusin ka nila lalo.”
What do you do when a guy not your type courts you?
“I tell him straight not to go on. Sayang ang oras, di ba? Sayang ang pagod.”
But if you like the guy...?
“Eh, di...tuloy! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@phil-star.net.ph)