Dimples Romana (left) and Sylvia Sanchez in “The Greatest Love”
Dimples with son Alonzo
We all feel guilty of being ‘Amanda’ to our parents at some point,” actress Dimples Romana said of Amanda Alegre, her character in “The Greatest Love” that not only turned her into a household name but also earned her a lot of bashers.
Dimples said that when she accepted the role, she already knew what she was getting herself into, but nothing prepared her for the deluge of negative comments the character received on various social media websites.
“I used to read and cry about them for a week,” Dimples shared with the Inquirer. “I felt so afraid because there were followers of the show who said they hated me so much that they wished for my kids to die. They were so involved in the story that they forgot I’m just an actress. I was so hurt. To make myself feel better, I’d go to the people I trust, to Nanay Ginny (Ocampo, business unit head). I know her team will not put me in a position wherein my family and I will be in danger.”
Dimples, a mother of two, added: “It was only recently that I realized that, in Filipino culture, a person who is disrespectful to his parents is more hated than a person who is accused of murder. I guess it’s because we’re all guilty of committing that, only in different degrees.”
The actress admitted that it was difficult for her to relate to Amanda, “because I’m not like her when I’m with my own mom. I never raise my voice when we’re having arguments,” she said. “We’re also different when angry. Amanda is confrontational, while I’m super chill. I don’t get upset.”
What was good about being Amanda, Dimples said, was that she was able to “push myself to assume a persona that’s totally different from myself. I feel that I was able to release the angst I never knew I had while I was being Amanda.”
Amanda is the eldest child of lead character Gloria Alegre (played by Sylvia Sanchez), who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. The show, which also stars Andi Eigenmann, Matt Evans, Arron Villaflor, Joshua Garcia and Noni Buencamino, will air its final episode on April 21.
Redeemed character
“Like her, I am also the eldest in the family. We both want to fix the lives of the people we care about. We both want to be there for everybody. I guess Amanda just expresses this the wrong way,” Dimples pointed out.
“I’m glad that my character has been redeemed—even I had doubts of whether or not the directors, writers and I would be able to pull it off,” she added. “It’s hard to like someone whom you’ve hated so much even though you know that she has already changed for the better.”
Dimples said she eventually learned not to take the negative comments personally. “I got them when Amanda was still in beast mode. As soon as my character had her change of heart, all I’ve ever received was love. It’s nice because the audience was able to accompany Amanda in her journey.”