Darna: The TV series is just around the corner, and at this point, we're well aware that Iza Calzado will be portraying Narda's mother and "the first Darna". Based on the comics, the first Darna passes on her superpowers to Narda.
Not everyone may know, though, that Iza was actually one of the actresses being considered to play Darna back in 2004. She was 22 at the time.
"It’s been 18 years since I was first approached, 2004, sat down, and told, 'We want you to play Darna,' without it being a dream of mine growing up," Iza told Boy Abunda in an interview.
Iza went on to reveal that she actually went under the knife to prepare herself for the audition. At the time, she had just lost a hundred pounds and got a tummy tuck and thigh lift to deal with her loose skin.
"Beyond Barbie pa 'to kasi naka-two-piece," she added. "Perfect ka dapat! So I did two surgeries to fix the body and it wasn’t enough."
When Iza landed the role Amihan in Encantadia in 2005, she said she had come to terms that the role of Darna had never been meant for her. Still, the thought of her surgeries haunted her. In time, she embraced her body.
"Siyempre the feeling of I did the surgeries for a role, that kind of stays with you, the regret. Why was I so impulsive in deciding to do this just for a specific project na 'di naman natuloy? I had to deal with that, I had to grapple with that for years."
"I was dealing with it but not talagang todo pa," Iza recalled. "And then I went on a whole body love, self-love journey and from where I am now, ibang-iba na, even the 2014 version of myself. And it’s really time. Yes, it really heals. You process things and you understand things more."
Catch Iza as the first Darna in Mars Ravelo's Darna: The TV Series, which starts airing on August 15, Monday.
MORE ON IZA CALZADO:
Iza Calzado Will Be Playing 'The First Darna' In ABS-CBN's Upcoming TV Series
Iza Calzado Shares Nuggets Of Wisdom On Self-Love And Compassion As She Turns 39
Iza Calzado: 'I've been on the road to self-love for such a long time'