Meet Frankie Ingrassia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frankie Ingrassia.

Hi Frankie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story… I spent my life studying those around me, observing everyone I could. I grew up in La Canada, where I attended Sacred Heart High School. I performed in school plays, directed my friends in videos, and was always watching whether to imitate or understand. At nineteen I starred in Alexander Payne’s Election opposite Reese Witherspoon and Mathew Broderick, playing a bi-curious teenager with aspirations of popularity.

I was typecast and played the go-to teen experimentalist in a few prime tv shows, such as Cold Case, Without a Trace, and a few others. I recently played Danny Aeillo’s daughter in his last film, “One Moment” where I was hiding my sexual preference in fear of my father, Danny’s, right-wing reaction. He is wonderful in this, by the way, if you haven’t seen it, you can stream it on Amazon. I spent several years slanging drinks on Billy Bob Thornton’s Goliath also streaming on Amazon.

I directed a feature in 2019 that was released in 2020 and is currently streaming about a vampire therapist called “Vampire Dad.” If you love the “Munsters ” you will love this, it’s a perfect silly Halloween throwback campy flick. In the meantime, I am ten weeks away from completing my Master’s in Clinical Psychology. I am completing my clinical hours at a small elite private school in La Canada as a counselor and am loving every minute of it.

Working with the kids is way more fulfilling than I could have ever expected. I plan to work in private practice working with families, couples, and individuals and still work on making films and telling stories that matter in the meantime, like the last short film I wrote and directed starring NBC’s Manifest star, Luna Blaise. A story about a teen influencer who makes a deadly mistake to find independence from her overly-enmeshed mom, Detach will be made public by the end of October 2022.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ha, no. Not smooth at all, I have struggled and been redirected many times over. I have had to take many jobs to pay the bills; teaching spin, bartending, sales rep, waiting tables, assisting directors, and assisting producers. You hustle when you have to.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What sets me apart from others as an actor, is my history with the work. I feel that my time in the game has given me a different perspective, and a calm approach that only time can provide. My work as a director comes from many years as an actor, and knowing the language that actors need to hear.

I love actors, and I love working with them. My more recent work as a therapist stems from passion, I love it. As I approach this next chapter I feel that my past experiences in entertainment will only reinforce this new path.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I am most proud of my ability to adjust. Life is not linear for any of us, being flexible is a skill that I have mastered. Whether it is my work with the kids in the therapy room, working with their parents, or my work as an actor/director. All of these skills have taken years of studying and hands-on experience to build.

I have been working towards my license as an LMFT for several years, and to be honest, the skills of an actor/director were helpful to aid in this new line of work, as it all leads back to studying the human experience and making choices to lead more fulfilling lives either through storytelling or guidance in the room.

I find narrative therapy most exciting, recreating the stories we tell ourselves in our day-to-day lives and how they impact the choices we make. Reframing the moment and seeing things through a new lens is the most powerful tool.
This is a skill that works with our psychology as well as our creative endeavors.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @frankie_ingrassia
• Facebook: @Frankie Ingrassia
• Twitter: @frankie_ingrass
• Other: imdb.me/frankieingrassia

Image Credits
Jenna Mohn