Sanya Lopez, a Darna hopeful from rival network

Sanya Lopez

With the search for a new Darna being recently reopened, not a few fans on the internet have been, yet again, floating the name Sanya Lopez as one of the most suitable actresses for the role, aside from Nadine Lustre and Maja Salvador.

“I’m flattered that there are people who want me to be Darna, because she’s such a strong and empowered woman. She’s an iconic superhero—it’s unlike any other character. Whoever gets the job will have a big responsibility,” she told reporters at a press conference for her ongoing GMA 7 soap, “Dahil sa Pag-ibig.”

Aside from having the right look and build, Sanya already has background in action scenes as Danaya in the remake of the fantasy series “Encantandia.”

“I have always loved doing fight scenes. I was quite boyish growing up, because I usually played with my brother (Jak Roberto) and other male cousins,” she related.

The obvious obstacle for the Kapuso star is that the film will be produced by rival network ABS-CBN’s Star Cinema.

But it’s not exactly an unworkable prospect. After all, Dingdong Dantes and, more recently, Alden Richards had both been able to cross over and do projects with the said movie outfit.

“If they do open the auditions to GMA 7 and our bosses allow me to go try out, then why not? I’m not closing my doors,” said the 22-year-old actress. “It’s a kind of role you really have to prepare for.”

For now, she’s focusing on “Dahil,” which is also pretty challenging in itself. She plays Mariel, whose husband, Eldon (Benjamin Alves), gets imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for committing a grave crime. This has Mariel desperately seeking ways to amass “blood money” to bail out Eldon. She even considers an indecent proposal from her ex-boyfriend, Gary (Pancho Magno).

Some of the toughest aspects of doing the soap, Sanya said, were the intimate scenes she had to film with Ben and Pancho.

“It’s a heavy role, but, as an actress, I need to continue growing with every project I do. I don’t mind playing a mother at my age as long as the story is good. It’s nice because I get to try different kinds of roles. And I get to play lead, too,” she said.

Thankfully, Sanya said, her friendship with her costars have made taping the love scenes considerably easier.

“I’m already comfortable with them so there were no hesitations. You just have to respect each other’s boundaries. I appreciate that they would ask me about my limitations, if I don’t like being held in certain areas. They always check on me if I’m doing OK and I don’t feel harassed,” she related.

She’s admittedly an “NBSB” (no boyfriend since birth). And with her hectic work schedule, things are likely to remain the same for a while. “I feel like it would be tough to juggle everything. As it is, I already don’t have much time for myself. And I think that before you love someone else, you have to love yourself and work first,” she pointed out.

But should the right time and person eventually come, Sanya said she would love to be with a guy who has similar qualities as Jak—sweet and diligent.

“My brother used to be quite protective of me, but he has become more lenient recently,” she said. “He told me that I’m grown and old enough to know what I’m doing, and that he will just be here for me if I need him.”