Franki Russell finally broke her silence on why she was dethroned as Miss Universe New Zealand during our conversation on “The Purple Chair Interview,” which can be viewed on The Boy Abunda Talk Channel. The Miss Universe crown is elusive to the former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate, whose bid to the beauty pageant started in 2014 and continued in 2021 until this year.
She auditioned for Miss Universe New Zealand in 2014 when she was 19 years old. “I didn’t really know myself back then, but it was a journey that I was excited to embark on,” Franki said.
She was working in Australia during that time. Franki was later informed that she could not participate in the contest because she was based in Australia. “Which is crazy to me because I was born and raised in New Zealand. I had just gone to Australia for six months of work experience. But things were a lot stricter back then. These days, it’s a lot more lenient, but back then that was the reason, and I was okay with that because when one door closes, a lot more other things open,” she remarked.
Franki entered the “Big Brother” house with other adult housemates in 2018. Her stint in the reality game show paved the way for her to get into showbiz.
Her second opportunity to join the prestigious beauty contest was from Miss Universe UAE in 2021. Franki moved to the UAE during the pandemic. The pageant was open to residents who were living in Dubai at that time. However, it got canceled a week before the coronation night due to political reasons.
Franki met several people while residing in the UAE, including Josh Yugen from the Yugen Group, which owns the Miss Universe franchise, such as Miss Universe Bahrain, Miss Universe Pakistan, and Miss Universe Egypt. The two met while Josh was casting during the Miss Universe UAE. “I guess he remembered me as a Kiwi girl,” she said.
The actress was appointed as Miss Universe New Zealand in March this year. She screamed upon getting the offer from Josh. “To be honest, it was a dream come true. It felt like it was for my father, who passed away when I was 12. He is the Kiwi in my family. I really felt like it was for him.”
Franki later became aware that her title was in jeopardy due to her previous daring roles in Vivamax movies like “Tag-init,” “Pabuya,” and “Laruan.” “It’s the intimate scene aspect of it. I think they were sent something out of context. It was a screenshot. No context. I really hope that they were able to research properly,” Franki explained. The actress never received any formal explanation from the organization as to why she was dethroned.
According to Franki, she is an actress who was portraying roles. “I think there was a stigma to certain platforms that put out these movies, and I think if you are a Filipino, you’ll automatically think, ‘Oh, she’s doing a racy movie. It’s not real movies.’ That’s the stigma that I hope to break. The reason why I took these roles is that I thought these are amazing directors and actors. I was shocked when this happened.”
The actress was devastated for not being able to join the Miss Universe, which will be held in Mexico on Nov. 16. “For it to be taken away overnight, it felt like a knife in the stomach. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t know what to tell people who would ask me every day, ‘How are your preparations going?’ I think that was the hardest part for me.”
It might be the end of the road to the Miss Universe crown but Franki is moving forward and remains optimistic about what lies ahead. “There are always brighter things on the horizon, and I feel when one door closes, the whole roof opens, and I’m just excited for what’s next on the horizon.”
This experience has made her stronger, more courageous, and more resilient. And what is essential is that her heart is happy right now.