Enchong and Mutya’s revelations about Jane, plus their characters in “Mars Ravelo’s Darna”

These days, Enchong Dee and Mutya Orquia’s lives are big juggling acts. The former hustles hard as an entrepreneur while the latter is busy with school, all while working on their new roles in Mars Ravelo’s Darna. Join them in a fun 'kwentuhan', plus know more about their “Darna” characters in this episode of Kapamilya Chat.

The conversation opens with Enchong sharing about “Academy of Rock Philippines," a music school he co-owns with fellow Darna actor Joshua Garcia. He mentioned that they also put effort to learn about music, so they also grow along with their students. Asked if working with a close friend makes the business easier to manage, he said it can be beneficial since they can talk openly. The key is to be clear about each other’s responsibilities.

Mutya is likewise admirable for making time for her studies. She’s currently home-schooled, and thus spends her taping breaks in the bubble working on her modules. At 16, a romantic relationship is of no great concern for Mutya but she has crushes typical of a teenager.

Asked how it feels to join the cast of Mars Ravelo’s Darna, Enchong admitted he wasn’t aware of how big of a role he’s playing until people started to bring it up on random incidents. Just recently, the maintenance guy fixing his condo unit’s ventilation jestingly told him, “Sir, gamitin n’yo na lang ‘yung powers n’yo.” Then, in the gym, a lady told him, “Sir, huwag n’yo akong palulutangin ha?”

The comments reminded him of how powerful and influential Kapamilya teleseryes are, “Kasi kahit anong mangyari sa atin, ‘yung viewers, ‘yung mga Kapamilya natin, sumusunod kahit saan tayo magpunta, kahit saan tayo e-ere.” Enchong appreciates their avid viewers, especially the random fans who come up to him and gush about his character as “Levitator.”

In case you missed it, he debuted in the series as Eli, a photographer bullied in the past due to his father’s crimes. As a son with unconditional love for his dad, he tries to justify his father’s actions to the point of bitterness and becoming a bad guy himself. For Enchong, the project came at the right time when a part of him resonates with the character, thus Eli fits like a second skin.

Mutya was happy to finally tick an action series off her bucket list, and even more curious when she found out she’s playing Zaijian Jaranilla’s loveteam partner. “No’ng una natawa ako kasi sabi ko, ‘Ha? Paano?’ Kasi ever since po parang kuya-kuyahan ko siya. Tapos sabi ko, okay, siguro parang ishi-shift natin ‘yun. Hindi pwedeng, like, kuya pa rin yung turing ko sa kanya. Kailangan pag nag-action na, iba ‘yung itsura,” shared the former child star, adding, “Medyo kinabahan rin ako, siyempre, kasi Zaijian Jaranilla.” In the series, Mutya plays Patricia, the headstrong young vlogger, who recently infiltrated the rehabilitation facility housing the Extras.

The challenging part is apart from being more ‘grown-up,’ Patricia is stubborn as compared to Mutya’s previous sad and oppressed characters. Nevertheless, she’s nailing it with the help of their directors.

Mars Ravelo’s Darna continues to receive praises, which, according to Enchong, is a source of motivation for them actors to do better. “Meron akong line na narinig na parang it’s hard when you hear comments like that because the tendency for you is to be guided by it. Parang, purong compliments, so papasok sa utak mo na magaganda, then, magsa-slack off ka. Pero hindi, eh, ang kagandahan sa team ng Darna, ‘Sandali, paano pa kaya natin ‘to ma-i-improve?’” He lauded the creatives for always trying to become better and cater to the audience despite the pressure.

Even Mutya doesn’t let the compliments about her get to her head, “Kasi yun din ang magda-drag sa akin pababa. Hindi ma-o-open ‘yung mind ko na mas matuto pa.”

The two further expressed their admiration for Jane de Leon who carries the torch as Narda/Darna. Enchong lauded the actress’ dedication, divulging that Jane exercises inside her tent while waiting for her next take. “Aminin natin, ‘yung role na Darna is very physical. You can’t allow yourself na, ‘Okay. Chill na lang muna ako maganda na ‘yung katawan ko.’ Hindi ganu’n si Jane. She makes sure that she has the endurance, she has the power to make sure na whatever physical challenges na ibato sa kanya, kaya niyang gawin. It’s admirable,” he shared, adding that Jane and Janella Salvador are friends in real life, a stark contrast to their characters as Darna and Valentina.

Mutya further revealed that Jane is “makulit at nanlilibre” and she’s like a real sister to Zaijian, “Magugulat ka naghahabulan na lang sila.”

Catch Enchong and Mutya in Mars Ravelo’s Darna, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.