Before landing the role of a young girl going on a dream vacation with her father in the Bafta-winning movie Aftersun, the star had never performed on stage or screen.
Alongside Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, 12, who is from Livingston in West Lothian, plays Sophie.
She was cast after her mother Leona submitted a photo of her to a casting agency that was looking for tomboyish girls between the ages of 10 and 12.
Frankie explains: "I wasn't trying to break into the acting business.
"My mother simply said, "I've put you up for a casting audition thing," when she came home, and I thought it was cool.
"I knew what it was, but I wasn't sure I was going to understand it. ".
The character Sophie is the daughter of Mescal's character Calum, a young man who struggles with mental illness in the movie.
Celia Rowlson-Hall's portrayal of Sophie as an adult recalls a trip she took with her father to a Turkish resort 20 years earlier.
The scenes in which Frankie played a young Sophie were filmed on location in Turkey over the summer of 2016.
For the entire two months of filming, her mother, father, sister, Mariella, 13, and brother, Lorenzo, 6, stayed with her.
Leona, a primary school teacher, said she was so proud of her daughter.
The 40-year-old said to BBC Scotland: "I could come and go on set because Francesca always had a chaperone, and they were really laid back.
My husband and I alternated going to the set, but we also wanted to give her some room to be herself and get to know Paul.
We didn't want to come off as pushy parents, so we gave them some freedom. ".
When Leona learned that her daughter had been selected for the role, she claimed to be in "disbelief.".
"Everyone remarked on how naturally she acts. She is a very expressive person in real life, so when I saw her acting with such poise and restraint, I thought, "Wow, she is really acting.". ".
Frankie enjoyed making the movie, with the exception of the singing.
In one scene, she was required to perform "Losing My Religion" by REM in front of a large audience.
"I detested it; I detested every second. I detested singing it and singing in public. There were numerous people present.
"I pretended to be my character Sophie to get through it. I simply pretended to be someone else in all of my scenes. ".
Before filming began, Frankie spent two weeks getting to know Mescal, who played Connell in Normal People.
We played pool, ate ice cream, and went swimming in the sea, she remarked.
"Aside from learning how to play pool for a few scenes, I had no training. I learned to play pool from Paul," Frankie continued.
Frankie outlined the differences, despite the fact that she believes she and her movie character are quite similar.
She remarked: "I'm not as embarrassing as her like doing karaoke and jumping in the pool with my shoes on - kind of an odd choice.
However, there were times when I didn't perceive it as acting; rather, I thought it was just people hanging out and reciting lines. ".
She watched her favorite actress, Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things, to get advice on how to get through.
She has received a lot of support from her Scottish friends, who were "so excited" when she took them to a movie.
And when she learned that her teachers were organizing a night out to see it at the movies, she felt "very proud.".
Charlotte Wells is the director of the movie, which debuted at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2022. It received a Bafta for best British debut film.
"I think it's a really great film," Frankie said. I'm also extremely proud to be a Scottish actor, and I hope this will encourage the development of more Scottish actors.
I intend to continue acting when I'm older. It's enjoyable to play a role that you are not.
. "
