I Am Frankie, Nickelodeon’s show about a teenage girl who is not what she appears to be, recently kicked off its second season. Joining the cast is Zachary S. Williams, best known for his recurring role in Oprah Winfrey’s Greenleaf series.
Zachary stars as Zane Markosian, a student at Sepulveda High who loves theater. The premise of I Am Frankie is that an experimental android (played by Alex Hook) goes to high school, and she quickly learns that even robots are not exempt from the perils of teenage life as she navigates social situations and even gets a boyfriend.
We asked Zachary a few questions about his background and his role on I Am Frankie…scroll down for the interview!
Hi Zachary, nice to e-meet you! Before we get into your role on I Am Frankie, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
Haha nice to e-meet you too! Well, I was born in Miami, FL and grew up in Central FL. I started acting when I was about 8 years old. There was this summer camp I would go to called “Kid’s College” and they had a theater program. I’m not sure what motivated me to participate in theater but I’m so glad I did. Once I got an agent, I started booking commercials and print work and just kept going at it. I enjoy singing, playing the piano and alto saxophone during my free time.
Cool! You joined the cast of I Am Frankie for Season 2, which just started airing. Tell us about your character and how he fits into the grand scheme of things on the show?
Yeah! So, my character, Zane Markosian, is a new student at Sepulveda High who really loves theater. He loves it so much that he writes and directs the school play, “Bae of Frankenstein.” When a great divide (Yes Androids Here and No Androids Here) splits the school in half, Zane rewrites his play in hopes to influence people’s perspectives on accepting and respecting other individuals, no matter what differences there may be. The situation becomes provocative but the play is proactive and sends a great message to fans.
The show is a recreation of a Nickelodeon show which aired in Latin America called, Yo Soy Franky. Is your character a new creation for the American version, or will viewers of the Spanish version recognize him?
My character is brand new for the American version! Although there are some similarities between the two shows, I Am Frankie is so different and definitely takes on a life of its own.
What’s been the funniest moment or blooper filming on that set so far?
The funniest moment(s) on set would have to be all of the audition scenes in episode 210! We had majority of the cast in those scenes so it was really fun to film and each character’s audition was hilarious!
It’s been a couple of years since your role acting along Oprah Winfrey in Greenleaf. How did life change for you after that—and do you feel it opened doors?
It’s crazy how fast time flies. In all honesty not much changed! I still went to public school, I still participated in my high school theater department. After working on Greenleaf, I do believe there was more interest directed towards me when being considered roles, however, there is so much that goes into casting, I could never be sure of a direct connection.
What was the biggest lesson you learned from working with Oprah, and do you still keep in touch?
No, I wish! The biggest thing I took away from working on that set was how to interact with individuals professionally and to always follow my passion and what I believe in.
Most boys want to be a firefighter or an astronaut when they grow up. According to a post on Just Jared Jr, you wanted to be a bus driver. Not tryna throw shade or anything, but what exactly made that appealing to you lol? : )
When I was in the second grade, I sat right behind my bus driver. I’ve always been fascinated with forms of transportation so I think one day I just started asking her questions and every day after that she would teach me something new. When I was younger, being a bus driver was just something I couldn’t wait to grow up for!
Tell me something people would be surprised to know about you, that you haven’t already revealed in other interviews?
Speaking of forms of transportation, I love planes. I find plane-watching to be peaceful and flying is always so much fun for me.
Biggest pet peeve?
When people park over the line in a parking lot.
Favorite place you’ve traveled to and why?
New York City! I love the energy and views.
Favorite food?
Fried Conch.
Favorite Marvel Universe character?
Black Panther.
Most attractive thing in another person?
Personality. Hands down!
Most embarrassing moment IRL you wish you could do over?
Oh goodness. Every year, my high school chorus department gets invited to be an Honor Choir for Disney’s Candlelight Processional in Orlando. One year during rehearsal, some type of bug decides to fly into the tent and land on my head. Let’s just say rehearsal was paused for a brief moment.
What else are you working on or have coming up?
Right now I’m on hiatus for I Am Frankie and I’ve just been relaxing, enjoying time with my family and friends. doing some publicity for the show, just living life!
Could we get a selfie of whatever you are doing at the moment? It’s something we ask to keep it real for the fans!
Zachary on Social: