Thoroughly pleased and overwhelmed, challenged yet unperturbed. This pretty much sums up Liza Soberano’s reaction to being chosen to play Darna, and to the flurry of criticism questioning her suitability for the iconic superhero role.
“Well of course I’m happy. Overwhelmed. At first when they announced na ako yung magda-Darna, I was very overwhelmed. Of course there are some god opinions there; some who don’t agree. But all of that, I have to respect everyone’s opinions because I can’t control everyone’s minds.
“And if they don’t think that I’m the right one to be Darna, then so be it. I respect that. But I still want to prove to everybody who does think that I am the rightful one to be Darna that I can do it, and I am trying my best,” Liza said during her recent launch as the first ever celebrity endorser of Megapro Plus and Megasound Karaoke.
Liza also revealed that even her onscreen partner, Enrique Gil, initially doubted that she would bag the role previously portrayed by the likes of Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta and Angel Locsin, among others. Enrique was recently cast as Liza’s leading man in the film.
“He didn’t think that it was gonna be me,” Liza admits. “Because sabi niya, baby pa daw ako. So imposibleng magtwo-two piece ako and stuff like that. But when he found out, he was supportive naman. And he said kaya ko yan. And now sinasamahan niya din ako sa pagwo-work out.”
Working out with Enrique isn’t the only preparation Liza needs to undergo, however. She has been doing rounds at the gym, with special focus on strengthening exercises that should hopefully equip her with the stamina and strength she’ll need for stunts.
Liza has also been allotting a portion of her weekends to running, as well as taking dance lessons for grace and timing.
Her physical needs for the said role were determined after a meeting with Erik Matti, who will be directing the film for Star Cinema, and his team.
Liza knows she has her work cut out for her, considering her previous film projects were generally rom-coms that weren’t as physically demanding as her upcoming movie.
“Probably ang magiging difficult for me po is the timing for the stunts. Because yun talaga, you have to look strong but not be too strong ‘cause you don’t wanna hurt the person you’re doing the scene with. You have to make it believable. Because I’m not actually gonna hurt yung ka-stunt ko,” she explained.
Speaking of stunts, the seemingly timid young actress says she would prefer to do all her stunts, unless of course they become too dangerous for her. She would consider having a stunt double with much experience if and when it becomes life-threatening for an action newbie like her.
Aside from doing her own stunts, Liza is willing to do other things to prove herself worthy of the role. The seemingly timid young actress is willing to wear a sexy superhero costume—even a two-piece, as her predecessors did.
“Anything naman, actually, as long as I’m prepared for it. Basta prepared po ako,” she said.
Liza is also willing to use her own voice in shouting “Darna!” even if voices of singers were outsourced for the shout previously; as well as sing the theme song for the movie, even if Liza herself doubts that she would be asked to sing for the soundtrack of the film.
Unknown to many, Liza loves to sing, knows how to play the guitar, and has even dabbled in songwriting which partly explains her recent association with Megapro Plus and Megasound Karaoke.
“I’ve actually written a song already but I don’t know if I’ll try to release the song ‘cause it’s very personal to me,” Liza shared.
