From troublesome to trustworthy: Zaijian on the quick shift from ‘The Broken Marriage Vow’ to ‘Darna’

Zaijian Jaranilla as Gio in “The Broken Marriage Vow”

“I had to let it go really quickly,” said actor Zaijian Jaranilla who had to jump from being the troublesome and confused teenager Gio in “The Broken Marriage Vow” to being the trustworthy sidekick, Ding, in the new “Mars Ravelo’s Darna” series in just two short weeks.

“I needed to remove being Gio in my mind and embrace Ding the moment I was informed that I would be sent to the ‘Darna’ set two weeks after we finished the show,” Zaijian recently told Inquirer Entertainment. “I may have had to say goodbye to being Gio quickly, but the lessons that the character taught me I will carry as I journey through life.”

Method acting

Zaijian admitted that it was hard to shake off Gio in the beginning, especially since he got so involved in developing the character during the project’s preproduction stage. “While we were already taping, my coworkers would notice that, even off-cam, I would look angry all the time, that I was often irritable. I was like, ‘’Di naman ako ganon!’ I didn’t realize that I did method acting for this project, but that’s what my coworkers observed from me. I guess that explained why I just couldn’t snap out of it easily and had a hard time becoming Ding right away,” he explained.

In “The Broken Marriage Vow,” Gio is the only child of Jill (Jodi Sta. Maria) and David (Zanjoe Marudo) whose marriage is shattered after the latter takes on a mistress named Lexi (Sue Ramirez) and eventually builds a family with her.

“Gio’s self-pity overwhelmed him. He felt that everything that was happening to his family was all his doing. What I learned from playing him was that one should not be too emotional, that one should be more open-minded,” Zaijain, 20, pointed out. “When I get older and eventually have a family of my own, I will make sure to check on my children as often as I can. I want to be there for them and help explain situations that they find hard to understand. Of course, I will try my best to have a complete and happy family.”

This time, addressing children who may be going through a similar experience as Gio’s, the young actor continued: “I just think that no child deserves to be part of a broken family, but this is a fact of life, a reality. Some marriages do break up. Know that there will always be someone to be there for you, if only you’d try to reach out. Also, don’t close your doors to the possibility of having a loving relationship with the new partners of your respective parents.

‘Worst enemies’

“Self-pity and self-blame are your worst enemies, so you have to have an open mind. Try as much as you can to understand and cope with the situation that you’re in. Know that what’s happening is also difficult for your parents. Don’t be hasty in your decisions and actions. Don’t do things that you may regret in the end,” the actor said.

Zaijian then shared with Inquirer Entertainment how much he appreciated costar Jodi for taking care of him while on the set and his home network, ABS-CBN, for entrusting him such an important role.

“I’m so grateful to Mama Jodi because she allowed me to become Gio to her Mama Jill on-cam. She really let me express myself that I also found a mother in Mama Jill. Off-cam, she was Mama Jodi to me, so patient and caring,” Zaijian recalled.

Jaranilla as Ding in “Mars Ravelo’s Darna”

“Mama Jodi also taught by example. On the set, I never heard her complain or get angry. She’s really a professional. Observing her work had a huge impact on me. If a senior artist like her behaved that way on the set, then who am I to complain about my situation? She has taught me humility as well,” he stressed.

Zaijian said he was also grateful to the Kapamilya network that has been taking good care of his career since he was 6, as the orphan Santino in “May Bukas Pa.” He recalled: “That show started everything for me. Everything I know about acting and performing, I learned here in ABS-CBN. I admit that I felt scared for myself when the network had lost its franchise [to broadcast on free TV] because acting has become a hobby that I truly enjoyed. It has already become my passion. I thought, ‘What will I do next?’

“I’m thankful that despite the loss of franchise, we survived and that my network bosses continue to show that they believe in me by giving me worthwhile projects. I feel that they must trust me enough to assign me to play Gio and then Ding shortly after. I am so honored.”

Cameras began rolling for the latest TV version of “Mars Ravelo’s Darna” in January 2022. Codirected by Chito Roño and Avel Sunpongco, it also features Jane de Leon, Joshua Garcia and Janella Salvador as lead characters. INQ