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Janella promises to breathe new life to Valentina – here’s how she took charge of the character

Article (news)

Liezel dela Cruz

Having big shoes to fill as she takes on the latest iteration of the most iconic supervillainess on Philippine TV, Janella Salvador molts her sweet girl-next-door image to reinvigorate the character of Darna’s serpentine arch-nemesis, <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/darna/articles-news/actresses-who-astounded-with-ssspectacular-ssstunning-portrayals-of-darnas-archnemesis-valentina-17832" target="_blank">Valentina</a>.Janella, who plays Regina, the hottest lawyer and vlogger in the fictitious town of Nueva Esperanza, and the alter-ego Valentina in the newest ABS-CBN teleserye <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/darna" target="_blank">Mars Ravelo’s Darna</a>, tells Kapamilya Chat, “Paulit-ulit kong binasa ‘yung script. I really wanted to immerse myself in the character kasi, sIyempre, hindi biro ‘yung character na ‘to.”Judging by the series’ first two weeks on air, even with her full transformation still under wraps, we can all agree that Janella is bringing her own spin on Valentina. The process of shedding her old skin for an air of villainy involved carrying her own interpretation of the character, “I tried watching a few clips of old versions of Valentina and Darna pero ayokong magkaroon ng peg. Gusto ko siyang gawin na sarili ko, so ‘yun ang ginawa ko. Talagang inaral ko ‘yung character. Inisip ko kung paano ko siya gagawin kung ako lang ‘yun.”<div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="06b9cac5decc13edae3497a22831561a" data-ivs-spid="3001384" data-ivs-vid="2198416"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Janella was extra hands-on with sketching the character from the looks to nuances, “’Yung mukha ko nga, mukha akong 16 years old lalo na ‘pag walang makeup. Pero, siyempre, nadala na rin ‘yung character ko, medyo mature siya, lawyer siya. So, iba rin ‘yung look niya. ‘Yung hair ko nga, iba rin. Nag-workout ako, I prepared for it physically. But, of course, in-internalize ko rin siya. Kailangan ‘yung dating ko, medyo mature, palaban, matapang.”For an added layer of originality, and heeding to director Chito Roño’s requirement, Janella invented her unique serpentine move that involves creepy swerving of the body. She also has to make Regina/Valentina’s voice sound deeper as advised by veteran actor Nonie Buencamino, who trained the cast members in a series of acting workshops, “I actually asked a one-on-one workshop with Tito Nonie. Ang na-contribute niya sa akin was, na-realize ko, since sanay ako sa mga roles na mababait, ‘yung boses ko pala minsan nagiging parang ang bait pakinggan. So, napa-realize niya sa akin na dapat dito gamitin ko ‘yung malaking boses.”We know Janella loves on-screen surprises, and one we really look forward to seeing is her Valentina costume, which she helped put together, “I stepped in. Nagpagawa ako, nakipag-collaborate ako sa prod ng feeling ko gusto kong look ni Valentina.” The overall look requires prosthetics, which take around two hours to put on. Janella takes pride in the teleserye’s journey, especially the hurdles it needed to surpass before making it on air, which is why she’s grateful and happy to hear positive feedback about the show.Looking back, it hasn’t been an easy journey for her, either. Admittedly, she had second thoughts about trying out for the role since she was then still bouncing back from giving birth to her son, Jude. Besides, she has never played kontrabida before, “Nag-hesitate ako no’ng una. I was unsure if it was for me. I asked my managers and handlers to give me some time to think about it.”But then again, “No’ng napag-isipan ko siya nang konti, sabi ko, ano’ng mawawala sa akin, ‘di ba? I mean, iconic si Valentina. So, I read for it. Sabi ko, kung makuha ko siya, eh ‘di that’s the sign it’s for me. If not, eh ‘di hindi.”<div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="06b9cac5decc13edae3497a22831561a" data-ivs-spid="3001384" data-ivs-vid="2198417"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Janella had script-reading with Direk Chito via Zoom and waited for a few days for feedback. But instead of a callback, she received a schedule for the series’ story conference.Talking more about Direk Chito, the Kapamilya actress says she was scared at first but she managed to break the ice between them by mentioning his previous work with her mom Jenine Desiderio.“No’ng una, kinabahan ako, kasi siyempre si Direk Chito yan. Pero maloko rin siya, nakikipag-joke siya sa amin. Actually, sinabi niya mismo no’ng mediacon na medyo kumalma na nga rin siya. Okay kami sa set, chill lang,” says Janella, who also appreciates how the director works to achieve his brilliant visions on set.Catch Janella as Regina/Valentina in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/darna" target="_blank">Mars Ravelo’s Darna</a>, weeknights, on <a href="http://kapamilyachannel.com/" target="_blank">Kapamilya Channel</a>, <a href="http://kapamilyaonlinelive.com" target="_blank">Kapamilya Online Live</a>, and A2Z.

Janella Salvador shares on Kapamilya Chat her rigorous preparations to build and own Valentina’s character. 