How Jane De Leon, Janella Salvador Live Up To Their Iconic Roles in Upcoming ‘Darna’ Reboot

Celebrated fictional superheroine “Darna” is about to inspire and entertain a new generation of audiences, as the Filipino comic book character officially returns to television beginning Monday, Aug. 15, after encountering years of production delays and setbacks.

Headlining the upcoming reboot of the series are actresses Jane de Leon, who plays the eponymous protagonist and her alter-ego “Narda Custodio,” opposite Janella Salvador as Regina Vanguardia, also known as “Valentina,” the equally popular archnemesis of Darna.

In an interview with News5 / ONE News.PH after the recent grand media conference of Darna cast, De Leon and Salvador talked about the challenges of portraying the characters, who were brought to life on screen by other legendary actresses in the past.

Both young stars revealed they had to prepare themselves “physically, mentally and emotionally” before taking on the iconic roles, considering the level of production involved in the project, and the inevitable pressure attached to it because of audience expectations from different generations.

“Kailangan po talaga ready kaming lahat kasi puro bakbakan and action [sequences] po ‘yung haharapin namin and kailangan po talaga OK kami (We all had to be ready because of the fight scenes and action sequences we had to deliver and we also need to be okay) emotionally and mentally because it’s a big, big project,” De Leon said.

Of course, watching the past iterations of Darna growing up did have an influence in her acting process, according to De Leon. In the end, however, what it all boils down to is finding the right balance between the physical, mental and emotional attributes of the character for her to be able to breathe new life into it.

Salvador echoed the same thoughts although, for her part, she said she would like her performance to be taken as her own tribute to ‘La Primera Contravida’ Cherie Gil. The late veteran actress also played the gorgon-like villain as “Valentine” in the 1994 movie “Darna: Ang Pagbabalik (The Return)” featuring Anjanette Abayari in the title role.

Whenever she gets asked about who among the biggest names in Philippine entertainment industry she hopes to work with someday, Salvador stated that Gil has always been high up in her list, even before her passing. Gil died of cancer in New York, United States last Aug. 5.

“Unfortunately, I was never able to work with her (Gil). Kaya ngayon iniisip ko na lang iaalay ko ito ngayon para sa kanya. Sana maging proud siya sa portrayal ko. (So, now, I’m thinking about offering my performance to her. I hope she is proud of my portrayal),” Salvador said.

Salvador mentioned that she did watch past clips of the previous Valentinas, but she refrained from immersing herself too much in those performances, so she could also bring her own interpretation of the infamous character.

“I had to prepare myself mentally and emotionally as well because my character also has a kind of heavy emotional baggage and need, so I gave my 100 percent,” Salvador added in a mix of English and Filipino.

Storylines for the 2022 TV adaptation of Darna have been updated to reflect modern times. For example, the superheroine’s alter-ego Narda is now working as an emergency medical technician or EMT while her rival Regina is a lawyer and vlogger.

Without giving away too much of the plot, De Leon and Salvador said audiences may find their fictional characters relatable in terms of their motivations and back stories, which help give their new series some form of social relevance.

“Lagi ko pong sinasabi sa lahat, if may kakayahan kang tumulong, tumulong ka kahit maliit na bagay…Malaking bagay na po ‘yon sa mga taong nangangailangan sa atin. (What I keep telling everyone is that, if you're in a position to help, try to help no matter how small… It is already a big deal for the people who need it),” De Leon said.

Salvador explained that although her character is the villain in the story, “her heart is actually in the right place,” especially when it comes to what she is fighting for. “She (Regina) uses her platform to voice out her opinions on what she thinks is going wrong with the city,” the actress said.

“‘Yung mga ipinaglalaban niya ay sa tingin niya kung ano ‘yung ikakabuti rin talaga ‘nung city. (What she is fighting for, she believes it is what is good for the city.) It’s just that, obviously, minsan hindi natin alam na nagiging masama na pala tayo. Nadadala ng mga emotions (sometimes we become unaware of our own faults because we get carried away by our emotions),” Salvador added.

When asked how they want to be remembered by the public in the future for their portrayal as Darna and Valentina, both De Leon and Salvador hesitated to answer, saying everything will be up to the audience right now. 

“Feeling ko ang goal lang talaga is sana nga tumatak (I feel that our only goal, really, is for the show to hopefully make its own mark, too),” Salvador said.

“Yeah, sana tumatak, like, in general – the story, ‘yung performance naming lahat – nasa mga tao na po ‘yon kung paano po sila magdedesisyon at kung ano ‘yung magiging impact namin para sa kanila (Yeah, we hope it resonates, like, in general—the story, our performances—it is up for the public to decide on that and what kind of impact can we have on them),” De Leon added.

The late Mars Ravelo, dubbed as the “King of Philippine Comics,” created the fictional characters with comic book illustrator Nestor Redondo. Their original series ran for 28 issues under Pilipino Komiks (Ace Publications, Inc.) with Darna’s first adventure published on May 13, 1950.

Throughout the 1950s and up to the late 2000s, the stories of Darna have been told and retold in various publications. The superheroine eventually became a Filipino cultural icon after several successful live action adaptations on film, TV and theater across different decades.

When ABS-CBN Entertainment and Star Cinema obtained the rights to produce new Darna stories for the screen, De Leon landed the role after so many of her equally talented contemporaries were forced to back out from the project, citing injuries, schedule conflicts, among other issues.

Production for the new series also experienced delays due to the shutdown of ABS-CBN Channel 2, after its franchise was not renewed by a House of Representatives committee in 2020, on top of the serious challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic across the entire entertainment industry.

Towards the end of the interview, De Leon and Salvador exchanged kinds words to each other, acknowledging the amount of effort they put into their respective performances, as the new Darna TV series finally airs on the Kapamilya Channel.

“I’m so happy na nakatrabaho ko ang isang (that I got to work with someone like) Janella Salvador, of course. I’m so proud of you,” De Leon said of her co-star, who is playing a villain for the first time in her young acting career. 

“I am genuinely super excited for people to see her hard work,” Salvador replied, adding that she also feels proud of both De Leon and herself for being part of this project.

“Gusto kong malaman mo na worth it lahat ng pagod mo (I want you to know that all your efforts are worth it). I know that people will see kung gaano mo kagusto ito at kung gaano kahirap ‘yung ginagawa mo (how much you wanted this role and how hard you worked in this),” she told De Leon.

Also starring in Darna are Joshua Garcia as Brian Robles, a young police officer and EMT, who is also Narda’s love interest; and Zaijian Jaranilla as Ding, younger brother and sidekick to the superheroine.

Seasoned actress Rio Locsin, who once played Darna in a 1979 movie, has been cast as Roberta Ferrer-Custodio while Iza Calzado appears as Dr. Leonor Custodio, the original Darna in the 2022 TV adaptation, who will pass on her superhero abilities to her daughter Narda through a magical stone. 

Other actors playing minor characters and supporting roles in the series include Paolo Gumabao, Richard Quan, Simon Ibarra, Marvin Yap, Yogo Singh, Dawn Chang, Tart Carlos, Young JV, Mark Manicad, Jeffrey Santos, Eric Fructuoso, Joj Agpangan, Zeppi Borromeo, Levi Ignacio, Gerald Acao, LA Santos, and many more.

The new fantasy and action/adventure series is directed by Chito Roño with Avel Sunpongco and Benedict Mique. Darna will also be broadcast on A2Z, TV5 and other digital platforms of ABS-CBN Entertainment, replacing the timeslot of “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.”