The goals Dimples achieved by playing Daniela

Dimples Romana plays
Daniela Mondragon

Actress Dimples Romana said she would continue to thank the people behind the popular drama series “Kadenang Ginto” even before the show ends its 16-month run this week.

Dimples, who has become a household name because of her “Kadenang Ginto” character, Daniela Mondragon, said she would now be able to afford sending her eldest daughter abroad to study because of the program. “Callie will finish school as a pilot because of ‘Kadenang Ginto.’ That, to me, is golden. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this show,” Dimples shared with reporters. “You see, I would often set goals, then keep a portion of my earnings to achieve that goal. For ‘Kadena,’ it was to buy a house and lot for my mom. I’m so thankful that I was able to fulfill that and do more.”

Given the chance, Dimples said she would love to portray another “kontrabida” character in her next project. “It’s a lot of fun. I always get excited with all the possibilities. I realized that I have a bigger space to move around in terms of portrayal if I’m the kontrabida. Now that I’m about to finish being Dani Girl, choosing my next TV project would be a challenge. I would often ask myself, ‘What else can I give to make the next one different? Who else can I work with that I have not collaborated yet?’”

Dimples Romana in “Kadenang Ginto”

Dimples further explained: “I believe that the true test of one’s ability as an actor is how he or she reacts to different coactors. I’ve unknowingly managed to pick up different acting styles from the people I’ve worked here,” she pointed out. “As an actor, you don’t let go of your tools. You just set them aside and pick them up again when you need them.”

Dimples’ costar, Beauty Gonzalez, who plays the heroine Romina Andrada-Mondragon, admitted that she had always kept to herself while on the set in order to focus on her character, and that this would often make her behave surly at work. Beauty did say that she was grateful to Dimples for the latter’s help, adding that she wouldn’t be effective in portraying Romina had it not been for Dimples’ help.

“This friendship will not stop when our work ends,” Dimples told Beauty. “I will never forget our moments together, especially when we were still developing our respective characters.”

Dimples said that all the cat fights she and Beauty had to shoot for the program “would have already made a negative effect on the friendship of two ordinary people. That’s why, as actors, we should check on ourselves to make sure we’re not carried away by our emotions. It takes a lot of understanding and professionalism to stay where you are and remind yourself that, ‘Hey, this is just work!’”

After “Kadenang Ginto,” Dimples chose to take a break from TV acting for a while. “As you know, I haven’t stopped working on TV since ‘And I Love You So.’ After that, I did ‘The Greatest Love,’ then ‘Bagani,’ then this,” she pointed out. “My family misses me already. I asked for a two-week break before I start doing movies again. I have several projects lined up this year. I’m glad they’re mostly with my son Alonzo.”

When cast members were asked what they considered were their “golden moments” while on the “Kadenang Ginto” set, Dimples replied: “It was when my husband started sharing articles about my character. He’s never into show biz. He’s hard to please, when all I ever wanted was his admiration. I want him to be proud of me,” she said. “One afternoon, Boyet texted me to ask if he could share an article about Daniela. After my 23rd year of being in this business, my husband finally gets on board! He finally said, ‘I’m married to the woman people call Dani Girl.”