Mars Ravelo’s Darna, under ABS-CBN, continues to reel in viewers from across the globe. The modern retelling of the well-loved Filipino heroine, now played by Jane De Leon, never falters in earning rave reviews from its dedicated fans. However, not everyone seems impressed with the show’s production.
As the age-old saying goes, “You can’t please everyone.”
Recently, Kapamilya actress Dawn Chang has been the topic of netizens after a clip of her character in Darna, Maisha Rodriguez, using her superpowers on the townsfolk of Nueva Esperanza went viral on social media. Many viewers aren’t buying that Maisha can influence those around her through dancing. It’s not something people see every day, even on popular media.
Despite being the topic of the joke, Dawn found the viral clip amusing and praised its editing. Moreover, she found the positive side of the somewhat negative feedback by saying that she captured the audience’s attention immediately.
“I guess I understand how they feel. They probably feel disappointed, according doon sa mga nakasulat. But all I can say is they have to watch the next episodes para mas maintindihan nila,” she said during an online media conference.
She continues to argue that the clip was only introductory and only allowed viewers to see the surface instead of the depth of Maisha’s character in the fantasy series.
“Maisha has the power to manipulate people through dance. Para siyang Pied Piper, ‘yun ‘yung inspiration niya. I think this never happened in the history of Darna. It’s something new; it’s something different. A lot of people can relate,” Dawn explained.
The Kapamilya actress likens her character’s influence to TikTok, the leading social media and video-sharing platform nowadays. Since its rise to popularity, TikTok has made several dance challenges viral and, in a way, encouraged users to do the same.
For her, Maisha and her superpowers are new, unique, and relatable, which makes ABS-CBN’s modern retelling of Darna more relevant to its younger audience.
On the other hand, as an actress, Dawn found her talent (and on-screen superpower) for dancing helpful in shooting action scenes.
“We specialize in body movement. We can easily imitate, even if we’re not experts in, say wushu. We can easily adapt the look of the body movement or body posture because everything is about the look of the body, the way you express it from head to toe,” she explained but clarifying that she doesn’t mean to trivialize martial arts experts.
Dawn will join the ranks of the Super Soldiers, which includes Richard Quan as General Borgo, Paolo Gumabao as Noah Vallesteros, Young JV as Andrei Abesamis, Kim Rodriguez as Xandra, Eric Fructuoso as Arthur Pineda, Joshua Colet as Sigfried Cruz, Simon Ibarra as Zaldy Vallesteros, and Mark Manicad as Ali Corpuz.
“They have to watch out for Maisha, and they have to watch out for the rest of the Super Soldiers,” Dawn said.
Catch Mars Ravelo’s Darna on weeknights at 8 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, CineMo, A2Z, and TV5.