he's been acting since age three, but beauty and talent didn't guarantee her instant stardom. Sexy actress Francine Prieto reveals why, more than showing skin, it's much wiser to wait.

Patience, with luck, sexy actress Francine Prieto insists, has been her formula for success for as long as she can remember. “ Timing lang yan ,” she quips matter-of-factly. “Even if you have the looks, the height, the intelligence, and the talent, kung hindi ka suwertehin, hindi rin .”

She's proven herself: She's been in and out of showbiz since age three, appearing in bit movie roles, playing the young Narda in Darna , and starring in her own TV drama show, Criselda , in ABC Channel 5 at age 10. When that didn't work out, she joined That's Entertaiment and, at designer Larry Espinosa's urging, strutted her stuff at the Elite Model Look contest in 1995. She was 13 and stood 5'6” (she's now towering 5'10”). As young as 15, she was already offered sexy roles, did more modeling stints, and, then, in 2002, joined Bb. Pilipinas, making it to the final 12.

But, according to Francine, nothing much happened. Indeed, nothing as big as finally starring in three box-office hit movies, Liberated 1 and 2 , and Bridal Shower , being on the cover of the widely-read FHM twice, and bagging endorsements for big names like Shell, San Miguel, and Bench Body. That's not counting the TV shows, the “rackets” she's doing on the side that have taken her to far-flung place like Tawi-Tawi, and a controversial Koren pictorial that made her the most searched foreign name in Korean cyberspace. And then there's another upcoming sexy movies, Bikini Open, to be released this month.

Of course, if hasn't hurt to have a beautiful face, a luscious body, and flawless creamy skin—all of which this 22-year-old has, but which were not enough to propel her into instant stardom nor win her a Bb. Pilipinas title. As luck would have it, she didn't have time to grieve her beauty pageant loss: Seiko producer Robbie Tan immediately spotted her and referred her to current manager Ces Evangelista. “They gave me an offer that,” Francine relates. “Then it was okay… sunud-sunod na !”

Never mind if the offer included showing some skin, a lot of it—the biggest, most major decision she's had to do in her life. Before that, she had never done any sexy roles at all. “ Hindi biro magpakita ng katawan ,” Francine says. “But it was good opportunity and I wasn't active in modeling anymore, so tinanggap ko .” A good thing, she says, heaving a sigh of relief—that in the end, she did not make the wrong decision about going the sexy route. “What if I did it, tapos wala din namang nangyari ?” she speculates. “That was what I was afraid before.”

But she's like that, she claims. She may be naturally shy and reticent, but she always follows through. “ Patakot-takot sa umpisa — pero pinaninindigan ko naman sa huli .”

Family Issues

It's perhaps this steady, unfaltering way that Francine looks at life that has led her to overcome the other hurdles thrown her way. For one, she owes her looks to her Pinay mother and a Norwegian father she's never met. “I just saw his picture,” she relates, non-commitally. “Whether I met him or not someday, it's okay.” Before she turned one, she was already under the care of her Chinese stepdad, who, for her, had not lacked in care and attention in any way. “He did his responsibility as a father,” she says. “ Hindi ako naghanap pa ng pagmamahal .”

Unfortunately, the same could not be said about her stepdad'd relatives. “My mom was not accepted by them,” she reveals candidly. “Or maybe there were other reasons I wasn't aware of. I knew my lolo and lola from my dad's side when I was already 15—‘ dun na lang sila bumait, na parang natanggap na kami .”

Still, she had to endure painful moments like being left out from family dinners and get-togethers. She recalls wondering why she and her siblings were never invited. In the end, she was resigned. “ Talagang ganun ,” she says. “ Hindi ko na lang dinidibdib .”

Were there issues while growing up? “None,” she replies submissively. She still loved her stepdad as if he was her own. So when he succumbed to colon cancer two years ago, it was a big blow. “It was difficult,” she recalls. “We had to make big adjustments, especially financially.”

Apparently, the allowance from the relatives of her stepdad wasn't enough to support her mom and her three other siblings. Somebody needed to work.

Project Francine

The movie offer came just when Francine really needed it. Along with the requirement that she had to go sexy and bare her body, she also had to change her name from Anna Marie Falcon to the more sosyal-sounding Francine Prieto. After attending a sensuality workshop to prep her for Liberated , she felt she was ready to take on the steamy scenes (and a breast exposure scene) she had to do with co-star Christian Vasquez . “I thought it would be easier for me because of my modeling experience, where I sometimes had to wear daring and see-thru dresses,” she says. “But when you're actually there, it's not that easy.”

How did she deal with it? “I just told myself that I close this, so kailangan kong panindigan ‘to .” She mustered enough lakas ng loob . She knew she had to say goodbye to privacy once she re-entered showbiz, and consoled herself with the thought that “it's all part of it.” Besides, the pay was good. He work wasn't in vain. Liberated became a hit, and Francine's screen presence was undeniable. Everyone started raving about this flawless beauty who had such an alluring, classy, sweet-yet-sexy face, and a voluptuous, come-hither body. Soon, she found herself acting side by side with veteran actresses Cherry Pie Picache and Dina Bonnevie in Bridal Shower , mas napansin ako ,” she relates.

“She has a sincere aura,” remarks her manager Ces Evangelista, when asked why Francine has emerged as a sexy star well-liked by people of all gender and ages. “She's simple but frank. She loves her work and the people in industry. She's the type who always says thank you, the type who will sign autographs for fans even if it takes hours.”

It wasn't long before Douglas Quijano took notice and recommended her to Ben Chan for Bench Body—resulting in an endorsement contract and traffic-stopping billboards along Manilas' major highways, all showing a luscious, messy-haired, bare-faced Francine sexily clad in sweet, girlie underwear. These days, she's dipping her toe, playing Keempee de Leon 's love interest in Bahay Mo Ba ‘To , a GMA-7 sitcom airing every primetime Tuesday.

She's also performing with co-star Alfred Vargas in a musical by Nestor Torre called Let's Fall In Love Again this month. She was handpicked by Torre himself, who says she has the makings of an international star.

“Francine can really turn on the magic onstage, says Ces. “ Hindi siya nag-bibida behind the scenes. But when she's performing, lumalabas lahat – bigay lahat .”

But she's still willing to play something that's totally out of character. Her dream role, surprisingly, is to play a disabled person. “It's challenging, she says. “But I realized that even comedy is challenging because at some point, you have to think of how to attack the scene.”

Her other life

Francine as teacher is another out-of-character role that she wants to play, in real life this time. “I want to teach someday—college students or special children,” she quips. “My dream is to build a school for special kids.”

“She loves children,” confirms her mother, Amy. This is probably why she chose to take up Psychology in Adamson University . “I want to do something for the community,” Francine says. The day after our interview, she was scheduled to read a story to kids in Enchanted Kingdom , an opportunity she welcomes. “It's only for 30 minutes— minsan sa buhay mo, gumawa ka naman ng ganun .”

Boyfriend Blues

She's quick to dismiss tabloid reports linking her to some actors. “Inventing stories is part of showbiz,” she remarks. “It's up to you how to react to it.”

Does she have a boyfriend now? Francine shakes her head. “Before,” she replies, “when I was only 20 years old.” It only lasted for a short while; he was older by six years and wasn't part of showbiz.

She definitely has a lot of suitors now, but is holding off committing to anyone. “ Mahirap din kasi . My work keeps me busy. Baka hindi maintindihan .”

She like it the old-fashioned way. “I want them to visit me at home,” she reveals. “[My other suitors] don't want to… they want to take me out to dinner, the others want to watch a movie. Pero, paano ‘yun? Paano kami mag-kakakilala sa sine? ”

Better Times Ahead

These days, Francine Prieto not just supports her mom but her whole family. She already bought a van with her earnings, and is on the lookout for business opportunities. She's thinking of starting a small business, perhaps a pet grooming shop, since she dotes on her three dogs.

Also in her plans: A new house. “We're planning to sell our old one,” reveals her mom, and “and get a bigger house.” One, she says that could house another car, because Francine is planning to drive her own vehicle.

She's still lives with her mom and siblings, and says that she's rather stay home and log on to Friendster.com than go out on gimiks . Sometimes, she goes wall-climbing in Rockwell with her siblings and friends. Her vice is shopping with her mom—the latest cellphones, bags, and clothes, an activity that can get both of them carried away. Other than that, she'd rather, really, just stay home and catch up on sleep—going home from taping at 4 a.m. is not an unusual thing.

“Patience lang ,” Francine reiterates. “ Hindi forever, sexy ka . “That's only a stepping stone so you'll be recognize not just for baring your body, but also for your talent. In showbiz, the ones who've stayed are the ones who had talent. And I think, meron naman ako nu'n .”

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