During the grand media conference of ABS-CBN’s Darna, on Monday, August 8, 2022, Rex Ravelo explained why the newest Darna series is the closest adaptation.
Ravelo said that Darna was created by his father with the inspiration of Superman and his mother, who raised them alone.
“A lot of people don’t know that my father grew up very poor. Kaya nagkaroon ng ‘Darna,’ dahil na-inspire siya ng nanay niya. Single mother ang nanay niya. Watching the mother raise them singlehandedly, with the inspiration of Superman, he created Darna,” Ravelo said.
Ravelo liked how ABS-CBN included the story of Darna’s family in the series, which he relates to Darna’s origin.
Addressing Jane de Leon, who portrays the role of Darna in the series, Ravelo added: “So iyong twist ngayon ng nandiyan si Iza Calzado as your mother, nagkaroon ng twist ng family, na iyon talaga ang pinagmulan ng story ng Darna.”
In a previous interview, De Leon proved that she is the real-life Darna of her family. She revealed that her family struggled in the past after they lost their business. They even reached the point where they only ate salt with rice due to lack of money.
“Alam ko po yung pakiramdam na walang makain sa hapagkainan. Kasi dumating sa point ang kinakain lang namin yung asin na may kanin,” she narrated.
De Leon recalled how they spent the 100 pesos during her auditions to enter showbiz.
“Yung 100 pesos po minsan yun na lang po yung pera namin. Minsan pinang-uutang pa po namin yun. Nagsha-share po kami dun ni mama, lahat po 100 pesos pamasahe, soft drinks, mineral pati biscuits po pinagkakasyahin po namin,” she recalled.
The female star became the breadwinner of her family when her father passed away. Now, she is reaping the fruits of her hard work.
She said, “Nawindng po ang buhay namin. Hindi po namin alam kung paano kami magsisimula. Kailangan ko po maging strong para sa family ko. Kasi po kung lahat kami mahina, di ko po alam kung saan kami pupulutin.”
