Editor’s Note: Supporting women should not be limited to a month. So at Reel 360 News, we have decided to amplify and promote dynamic women’s voices all year long. Today, let us introduce you to a savvy and talented woman–actress, Franny Titus.
Franny Titus is a Cuban American, bi-lingual actor born and raised in the southeast. From local theater to big screen projects, she is enthusiastic about storytelling and the performing arts. Titus is a vocal supporter of the Orlando film incentive program, which creates incentives for filming and producing movies in Central Florida.
Titus’s noteworthy performances consist of ‘Emma Jean Johnson’ at the 2024 Orlando Fringe Festival’s production of Bobby Lee Blood. “Solid actor (Franny) inhabits their troubled persona with empathy and humor,” wrote Seth Kubersky from the Orlando Weekly. Also, Titus was the Best Supporting Actress winner in the series, Gone, from Echo TV. Additionally, she was a player in the sketch comedies Napoleon on the Beach and Super-Fast Cars written by Jeffrey Rembert.
Next for Titus is the role of ‘Savannah,’ the woman who runs the local saloon, in the upcoming film Florida Wild, starring Lee Majors and Mira Sorvino. After the Civil War and before the Wild West, Florida Wild tells the story of resilience, tradition, and the pioneer spirit that shaped the Sunshine State. The film is slated for this summer.
Other upcoming appearances include the feature film 267, a corporate thriller, along with Rain in the Florida Sunshine. Both will be available to stream on Amazon Prime later this year. Titus will also appear in the comedies Queen of Christmas and The Hatching, which will be entering the festival circuit, along with the moving dramatic piece, How to Sleep in the Cold and The Sweeper.
She has been seen in Control Freak, a one-act play where the proceeds go to Ukrainian refugees. Titus also stepped into the role of ‘Miep Geis’ in The Diary of Anne Frank for the Bridge Theater’s debut show. The show performed for over 3,000 Orange County middle and high school students to bring awareness to antisemitism, prejudice, and hatred. Titus remains actively involved in original productions with the Worship Arts Ministry at Grace Bible Church and God’s House Orlando. She is currently in rehearsals for The Upper Room, which will open in April 2025.
Titus studied at the New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts and worked with New York’s most prominent acting teachers. Her credits include the off-Broadway show The Love Letter You’ve Been Meaning to Write New York.
Let’s meet Franny!
What’s your origin story?
I would say other women shaped me into the woman I am today by either showing me who and how I wanted to be with their positive impact or who I never wanted to become by the wake they left with negativity.
I honestly believe the best way to influence anyone is by showing them. I am so grateful for the women in my life who have shown me what it looks like to be brave, courageous, encouraging, consistent, disciplined, self-aware, and considerate.
How did you break into acting?
This is a true Cinderella story.
My father provides scenic painting in Orlando and was asked to bid on doing set work for the upcoming Florida Wild film, starring Lee Majors and Mira Sorvino. I asked him to bring me along and brought my headshot and résumé just in case. A longtime friend and colleague of my father, Donna Farmer, was working on the film, and we chatted, and I gave her my materials. That was on Sunday.
Fast forward to Wednesday. Turns out the actress who was hired to play ‘Savannah,’ the town barmaid, was out and the role needed to be filled, reason unknown. However, they needed to find another actress who could not only play the part but fit into the costly costume. When the opportunity presented itself to fill the role, Donna stuck her neck out and campaigned for me.
I was driving to my yoga class and got the call from her asking what size I wear. The glass slipper (costume) fit! I turned my car around and drove straight to the production office. ‘Savannah’ was my first speaking role on a SAG feature film. I had my own trailer and met incredible people. I have worked in this industry for 20 years, and I have never had an opportunity like that, or anyone go to bat for me like that. She really changed my life.
Who were your mentors, and how did they influence your journey?
A HUGE mentor for me is Lori Wyman, a casting director in the Southeast. I have never met or known anyone like her, and the influence she has had over me spiritually, mentally, and in my career is truly indescribable.
Her legacy and impact deserve to be celebrated. My close friend, Rebecca Flott, changed my life as well, an unbelievable artist in her own right, called out the ‘agony of an artist’ which she coined, that she had witnessed in me. She spoke life and success over me, she saw me. To hear someone speak to those dreams and struggles you have hidden in your heart the way she did will forever shape me.
What fuels your creativity?
The energy and vitality that comes from being creative and authentic. The way it colors every facet of my life. To have people look at you in reverence and awe over your work is intoxicating, but beyond that, to give myself over to the ether of possibility and be one with that field, in utter surrender as an artist, fuels it all. Also, to see that I have been given a gift to alchemize any hardship into something beautiful with my art, which can connect people or themselves.
What’s the biggest myth about women in your field?
That the “younger woman” is your competition or a threat. I have been the younger woman in the room; I am sometimes still, but I realize that when I was young, many older women may have been threatened by me, so they didn’t share wisdom or extend any olive branches my way.
I really want to fight the urge within myself to see a younger woman who is powerful, creative, and full of potential as a threat. I want to pour into them and to the older actresses in my life. I want us all to win, there’s room for all of us.
Name a creative risk you took that paid off.
I had an opportunity to play Emma Jean in Bobby Lee Blood for the Orlando Fringe, and I just went for it. The director, Kyona Farmer, really affirmed all the risks I took in that role as well, for which I will forever be grateful. She continues to affirm my fearlessness. In the best possible way, I will continue to hear her voice in my head next time I get an opportunity to take a creative risk, cheering me on.
What’s your take on the rise of AI?
I think it will give way to more appreciation for the true craftsman in the room. I think we will have to adapt and remain flexible, but the honey of the soul should never be worried or threatened by something artificial and unfeeling.
What’s a piece of advice from another woman you carry with you?
Kelly McNabb Burgenstock told me that there are some people who will never understand me or what I do, and that is ok. I do not have to live my life by the terms or with the need to have anyone understand. That gave me so much freedom to be me and do me.
Are you rebooting Soul Train, American Bandstand or MTV Spring Break?
I was on MTV Spring Break Key West, so I would have to say a reboot of MTV Spring Break of course.
How do you balance ambition with self-care?
It is tough finding that balance between ambition and self-care, especially when it feels like your energy gets drained before you realize it. It is so easy to get caught up in pushing for success or achieving more, but eventually, burnout hits, and you realize you have been neglecting your own needs.
What’s really key is realizing that self-care doesn’t just have to be a reaction to burnout, but something you proactively incorporate into your routine. This is something I am currently learning.
You’re writing a memoir. What’s the title?
Just Keep Swimming.
Go to Karaoke song.
Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
In 10 years, what do you hope to look back and say you changed?
There is a Cuban proverb. “Lo que está pa’ ti, nadie te lo quita- What is meant for you, no one can take away.” I’m comforted in my experiences so far to know this to be true, and I’m looking forward to looking back and reflecting, knowing I trusted that a little more. I also hope I have added depth and beauty to the artistic landscape of the Orlando Arts Scene through my storytelling and my unwavering support and passion for other creatives.
Franny Titus’ Social Media:
Instagram: @Frannytitusactor
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