Eliana Su’a is Disney’s newest starlet on the rise, and here’s what you need to know about her.
Known for her exceptional talent and diverse background, Su’a was born with a natural inclination for the arts, with a passion for acting blossoming at the tender age of six. Since then, the half-Samoan, half-Latina actress has captivated audiences worldwide with her charm by bringing both a unique and authentic perspective to her performances.
Her journey in the entertainment industry started in theater, but it wasn’t long before she made her mark on the big screen as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s on-screen daughter in the blockbuster feature film, Fast & Furious: Presents Hobbs & Shaw. Now, she has another leading role, but this time in Disney Channel’s newest series, Pretty Freekin’ Scary, where she plays Frankie Ripp.
Fourteen-year-old Frankie Ripp (Su’a) had a perfect life — a great family, an annoying little brother, a popular boyfriend and a BFF she could always count on. However, her life took a surprising turn after an unfortunate incident. After some heated debate in the Underworld with the Grim Reaper (played by Siobhan Murphy) herself, Frankie is forced to navigate life with her new Underworld guardians, Pretty (played by Kyan Samuels) and Scary (played by Leah Mei Gold), in the most challenging setting of all … middle school. Pretty freekin scary, huh?
When describing the moment she found out about her leading role in our exclusive interview, Su’a recalls, “I was home. I think I was actually taking a nap on the couch. And then, my mom woke me up… She was on the call and she’s like, ‘oh, my gosh, you got the part.’ And I was like, What? I was so excited. I was crying tears of joy. It was just a really cool experience.”
In the show, Eliana’s character is a goal-getter and confident in ways that make her stand out. While things might get scary along the way, she doesn’t give up. In fact, Eliana said that’s why she wanted to play that role in the first place.
“If something gets in their way, she will find a way to go around it and she will just keep going,” said Eliana. “I feel like that’s me, I won’t stop. I’m a very determined person. I keep going and I think I really relate to Frankie in that way.”
KYAN SAMUELS, LEAH MEI GOLD, ELIANA SU’A, EMMA SHANNON
She hopes those who watch Pretty Freekin Scary not only enjoy it, but also take away the lessons it has to offer. “Frankie is finding herself when she comes back to life and she is not afraid to find herself,” she said. “She’s confident and I think the message is to be confident. It embraces who you are. It’s okay if you’re different.”
Pretty Freekin’ Scary is now airing on Disney Channel and Disney+. Have you watched it yet? If so, let us know what you think of it by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
EMMA SHANNON, ELIANA SU’A
For more on Pretty Freekin’ Scary, watch our full interview with Eliana Su’a below.
