It's official: Janella Salvador is playing the role of Valentina in the upcoming Darna series.
"The snake is out of the bag," Janella wrote in an IG post, featuring a photo from ABS-CBN's live reveal. "Happy V Day."
"First of all, I’m very very honored to be chosen among the many actresses who auditioned for this role," Janella said during the event, where she was welcomed by Jane de Leon, who will be playing Darna. "I’m sure they were all equally as amazing."
Other actresses earlier rumored to have auditioned for Darna's snake-haired nemesis included Anne Curtis, Janine Gutierrez, Julia Barretto, Jane Oineza, Denise Laurel, and even Jackie Rice.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank director Chito Roño and ABS-CBN for giving me the opportunity to portray this iconic role," Janella said. "I promise to live up to everyone’s expectations but also make it my own."
This will be the first time that Janella will be playing a villain, a character she revealed she's looking forward to playing around with.
"Usually, sanay ako sa mga roles, nakukuha ko, yung mababait na roles. And this time it’s very exciting for me because it’s a gray role. And it’s more of a dark character. I’m so excited to play around it and to get to know who she really is."
"It’s very different from the roles I’ve done before. She’s a very empowered woman, she’s smart, an intellectual, kaya ako na in-love sa role na ‘to. Kasi she actually does have a good heart, hindi lang nagamit sa magandang paraan."
Janella also said she had to lose weight and will be training for the role.
"Obviously, I just gave birth so I really had to double up when it came to losing weight. I'm gonna undergo training for the physical scenes and stuff."
It looks like Janella doesn't have any problems working with real snakes because she actually has a pet baby snake named Versace!
"Well, of course, the moment you audition for Valentina, you would think, 'Hahawak ako ng ahas,' so kailangan i-consider mo na 'yon. And sanay na sanay naman ako because I have a baby snake."
Darna is set to air sometime in 2022. The series starts filming this November 2021. Confirmed cast members so far include Joshua Garcia, Iza Calzado, and Kiko Estrada, among others.