Anne wants to be the Dyesebel of today’s generation

Anne Curtis is ready to create bigger waves this 2014 as she takes on the challenge to be the “Dyesebel” of the current generation.

“I want to be the best-ever Dyesebel for the youth of today,” said the Kapamilya star during the grand press conference for ABS-CBN’s TV adaptation of the Mars Ravelo classic. 

“I really went a long way to study my role. I watched almost all the movie versions of Dyesebel and trained with the Philippine Mermaid Academy to learn how to move underwater gracefully,” she said.

It’s not the first time for Anne to play the role of a mermaid on television. She did that in Dyosa back in 2008. But for Anne, giving life to Dyesebel, one of the most loved Filipino characters, is an entirely different thing. 

“Unlike my character in Dyosa who transforms into different mythical creatures, Dyesebel has her own story. It is about acceptance, learning to love and accepting love. It’s about a woman searching for her true being,” shared Anne.  

However, Anne noted that apart from the new developments in the physical appearance and story of Dyesebel, the best part about playing the titular role of the series is being able to impart to TV viewers many lessons. 

“What I liked the most about this new version of Dyesebel is that it upholds many values and awareness about the environment and the society for children and the whole family,” she said. 

ABS-CBN business unit head for Dreamscape Entertainment Television Deo Endrinal further explained that injecting more values and advocacy to the program was a huge decision that the Ravelo family fully supported. 

“Dreamscape worked in close coordination with the heirs of Mars Ravelo to update the iconic Filipino character. Both the children and grandchildren of Mr. Ravelo helped and shared their insights, and they all agreed with the changes that we presented to them,” said Endrinal. 

Ravelo’s masterpiece tells the story of a half-human and half-mermaid named Dyesebel who tries to unite and create a bridge between the worlds of human beings and sea creatures. 

ABS-CBN now breathes a new life to the favorite Filipino character Dyesebel by featuring some of the biggest stars in the showbiz industry and the most beautiful locations in the Philippines. 

“We went to Coron, Palawan and the different beaches in Batangas for Dyesebel. We want to promote the places where we shot the scenes and show the world that the Philippines is one of the countries with the best diving sites,” said director Don Cuaresma. 

Co-director Francis Pasion, on the other hand, commended the cast for being great team players since Day ne. 

“You can really feel that they love what they are doing. I admire their passion and determination to give everything for this project,” Pasion said. 

“It was hard for me at first to do my scenes underwater,” shared Sam Milby, who plays the role of Liro, the first-ever merman in the history of Dyesebel. 

“I’m a good swimmer, but swimming and acting while wearing a tail is a really huge challenge. We had to train a lot to make our movements look natural on water,” he added. 

For Gerald Anderson, despite the amount of hard work he needs to put in for his character Fredo, he believes that everything will pay off in the end. 

“I would like to take this chance to be an inspiration to TV viewers to become fit and healthy. For my role, I always see to it that I get to do my workout and lots of exercise on land and water,” said Gerald. 

Meanwhile, Anne shared that apart from all her trainings, what helped her in her preparation for the most coveted role are the performances of the past actresses who played as Dyesebel. 

“I get so much inspiration from them because they have given Dyesebel different kinds of flavors for the past years,” she said. 

When asked about her worries about experiencing any problems, accidents and wardrobe malfunctions during their tapings, Anne burst into laughter and answered that she trusts the staff and team of Dyesebel and that she feels secured because of the people who created her costume. 

“I’ve been there, done that, and I don’t want to go back,” she quipped.