Do we like Frankie Adams?
Our score: 6 out of 10. Clean on harm and on how she treats people, but there's little public record of her views or causes to push the score higher.
Frankie Adams is a Kiwi-Samoan actress who got her start at 16 on the New Zealand soap Shortland Street. She later played Aboriginal woman Tasha Goodwin in the Australian prison drama Wentworth, and she says the role gave her a reason to talk with her cousins about her Indigenous heritage. She was raised by her Samoan mother.
Her big international break was Bobbie Draper, the towering Martian Marine in sci-fi series The Expanse. She has said it was her first big American job and that it opened a lot of doors. She also said it taught her how to conduct herself on set, which is a good sign in a person who has no reported on-set trouble.
On the harm check, we found nothing. Searches for lawsuits, accusations, or statements on trans people, women, migrants, vaccines, climate or politics turned up nothing from her. That means a clean sheet, not a loud record of standing up for causes, and her recent big projects are mainstream studio films, not culture-war fare.
Her most recent news is casting. In June 2024 she was cast as Sina, Moana's mother, in Disney's live-action Moana, with Catherine Laga'aia playing Moana. She posted that she was a “proud mamā” and called the news “truly surreal”. Nothing newer than that turned up, no controversy included.
On the good side, she has used her profile for Pacific and Indigenous storytelling, and the Samoa Observer covered her as a Kiwi-Samoan actress heading for the big screen. We couldn't verify any formal charity work, so we're not claiming any. There are no trophies to wave around, just a steady, decent working career.
So: would we support her? Yes. She's a Pacific actress getting bigger roles, there's no sign of harm, and no sign of bad behaviour. Her own political views stay private, so if you want a loud ally, this isn't a card that proves it, but there's nothing to flinch at.