Francia Raisa is just as upset as we are about How I Met Your Father’s unfair cancellation. The actress, 35, addressed the show’s future during an exclusive interview with Hollywood Life while attending the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection Concert in New York City.
“Unfortunately, it was a casualty of the strike. We’re very, very sad,” Francia said, referring to the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that temporarily shut down the business last year. “All of us are very sad, and we’re hoping for a miracle.”
As for whether or not she was told who the father was, the former Secret Life of the American Teenager star replied, “I don’t know, I asked,” before recalling a conversation she had with one of the producers of the Hulu series.
“When the producers called me, I said, ‘All right, who’s the dad?’” Francia revealed, before adding, “And [one of them] goes, ‘Listen, we’re gonna try to shop it around. And if it’s dead, dead, we’ll call you, we’ll have dinner, we’ll tell you. I haven’t gotten a call yet.”
HIMYF was abruptly cancelled last year after just two seasons. Viewers still don’t know who Hilary Duff’s main character, Sophie, ended up welcoming a child with. Season 2 left fans on a cliffhanger as they waited to see if she would end up with either Jesse [played by Chris Lowell] or Sid [played by Suraj Sharma]. Francia played Sophie’s best friend, Valentina.
While the cast — and the fans — are still reeling from the show’s sudden cancellation, Francia has been focusing on other projects as well as advocating for health awareness. While walking the red carpet at the AHA’s annual event in New York City on January 31, the Grown-ish alum discussed the importance of the organization’s message regarding heart health.
“Obviously, I’ve been very open about health — I donated a kidney — because I’m all about health,” the Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream star explained, referring to her 2017 organ donation to Selena Gomez. “And since I was little, I really believed in nurturing our bodies. As I’ve gotten older, I have my own [health issues] regarding PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome], PMDD [premenstrual dysphoric disorder], heart murmurs, everything.”
Emphasizing why people, especially women, should “get together and bring awareness” to the cause, Francia revealed she “didn’t even know” that she was experiencing certain health challenges and urged others to seek help if they feel that something is off with themselves.
“I’m a first-generation Latin American. My mom didn’t know what was going on [with me],” the Bring It On: All or Nothing actress noted. “The more open we are about these conversations, the more people can — I don’t want to say self-diagnose — but realize that ‘Oh, maybe something’s wrong and what I’m feeling is not normal because I don’t feel normal.’”
Francia concluded by pointing out, “Half the time — us women, especially, because we have so many hormones — we don’t feel like ourselves, and we feel crazy. You’re not crazy. There’s just something going on, and you should figure it out, and I think that’s why we’re all here. We’ve all felt crazy at one point.”