BAGO pa nagkaroon ng live, formal announcement ang GMA Network’s Entertainment TV sa pamamagitan ng 24 Oras last Thursday evening, kung sino ang napili nilang gumanap bilang si Dr. Maxine dela Cruz or si Beauty, sa Philippine adaptation ng Korean drama na Descendants of the Sun, ipinakita na rin nila na nagsasagawa na ng medical training si Jennylyn Mercado, kasama ng ilang doctors and nurses mula sa Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), na partner nila sa pagsasagawa ng important flagship project ng network.
Si Jennylyn ang top choice ng network at ng fans to play the role of Beauty, kaya naman noon pa ay pinag-aralan na ni Ultimate Kapuso Actress ang kanyang role.
“Pinag-aralan kong mabuti yung character niya. Kailangan dikit talaga ako kay Dr. Kang,” sabi ni Jennylyn. “Si Dr. Maxine kasi is a skilled cardiothoracic surgeon. While often noticed for her pretty face, she is headstrong, principled, and most of all, willing to do everything in her power, even put herself at risk, for her patients.”
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Dagdag pa ni Jennylyn sa kanyang Instagram wall: “When I learned that it was me, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for GMA’S trust and also pressured since I know how big this project is. I promise I would do everything to give justice to the role. I won’t let you down. Pangako.”
Unang nagkasama sina Dingdong at Jennylyn sa Encantadia noong katatapos lamang niyang manalong Ultimate Female Survivor ng StarStruck. Kaya bale makakatrabaho for the first time ni Jennylyn sa isang teleserye si Kapuso Primetime King Dingdong Dantes bilang si alpha team leader Captain Lucas Manalo or si ‘Big Boss.’ Kasama rin nila sina Rocco Nacino as Diego Ramos or ‘Wolf’ and Jasmine Curtis Smith as Moira Defensor.
Kasama pa rin sa cast ang Soldiers Team na sina Lucho Ayala, Jon Lucas, Paul Salas, Prince Clemente, Ricardo Cepeda at Antonio Aquitania.
Ang Doctors and Nurses Team naman ay sina Andre Paras, Chariz Solomon, Nicole Donesa, Jenzel Angeles, Reese Tuazon and Renz Fernandez. With Bobby Andrews, Neil Ryan Sese, Ian Ignacio, Rich Asuncion, Marina Benipayo, Hailey Mendes and Roi Vinzon.
Si Dominic Zapata, na kilalang isang mahusay na action director, ang hahawak ng much-awaited project na ito.
-NORA V. CALDERON
