Janice de Belen opens up about saving others, herself in ‘Saving Grace’
Janice De Belen during an interview with reporters. Image: Courtesy of Dreamscape Entertainment
While “Saving Grace” was not the first time for Janice de Belen to portray a mother, she said its theme shouldn’t be taken for granted, as it talks about saving a victim of child abuse and yourself along the process.
A Filipino adaptation of the Japanese drama “Mother,” “Saving Grace” tells the story of a school teacher named Anna (Julia Montes) who kidnaps one of her students (Zia Grace) in an attempt to save her from the latter’s abusive mother and live-in partner. Meanwhile, De Belen stars as Helena, the mother of Anna who doesn’t approve of her kidnapping.
“Wow, nahirapan ako (that’s hard),” De Belen admitted to INQUIRER.net in an intimate chat when asked if she would do what Anna did if she was faced with the same situation. The actress paused for a moment before stating that it depends on the situation if she would “kidnap” someone to save them.
“Siguro like Grace, Anna is also lost. She’s also looking for some kind of saving. So, siguro naramdaman ni Anna that by saving Grace, she would actually save herself. So depende sa sitwasyon. Kung ang sitwasyon ko is, wala naman akong anak, and I feel na it’s purely because nakikita mong nasasaktan. Hindi ko alam, baka magawa ko rin ’yun.”
(Like Grace, Anna is also lost. She’s also looking for some kind of saving. I guess Anna felt that by saving Grace, she would actually save herself. So it depends on the situation. If the same thing happens to me and I don’t have a child and I feel hurt over seeing someone in pain, I don’t know. I might’ve done it as well.)
Article continues after this advertisementDe Belen then reiterated that she would “do something to help the child,” noting that its storyline hits close to home since she’s also a mother.
“Maybe not to that extent. Maybe hindi ganun ka grabe but yes, I would do something to help the child. Kung may anak naman ako, papahanap ako ng pwedeng tumulong sa kanya. But definitely, it’s not something you can take sitting down. Kasi bata eh,” she said. “I identify with that kasi may anak ako. Siguro, pag nakikita mong ganun, there’s going to be some kind of, hindi, kailangan may gawin ako.”
(Maybe not to that extent. Maybe not that extreme but yes, I would do something to help the child. If I have a child, I will seek someone to help them. But definitely, it’s not something you can take while sitting down. A child is involved. I identify with that because I have a child. If I witness the same situation, I would have the mindset of needing to help.)
With the topic in mind, De Belen shared that in real life, she found herself in several moments that she had to be strong as a way to save herself.
“Mas madalas, I always had to save myself. Diba kagaya nang sinasabi dila sa eroplano, pag nagbibigay sila ng instructions, bago niyo lagyan ng oxygen yung bata, kailangan gawin mo muna. You need to be the strong one, and you need to be the healthier one in order for you to save another person,” she said.
(I usually had to save myself. When you’re in an airplane, you’re always instructed to put your own oxygen mask before putting your child’s mask on. You need to be the strong one, and you need to be the healthier one for you to save another person.)
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‘Motherly connections’
One of the highlights of “Saving Grace” is Anna being the mother whom Grace needs. Since Anna is not the biological mother of Grace, the alleged kidnapping escalated into a bigger debacle, as the school teacher doesn’t have the right to take care of the latter.
“It’s not always about biology naman, diba (right)? Sometimes, it has to do with your relationship and how you connect. Sometimes it’s like that,” de Belen said of the show’s premise.
“It’s nice to feature different kinds of mothers, para hindi nase-stereotype ang mga nanay. Iba-iba yan (so mothers wouldn’t be boxed into certain stereotypes. A lot of factors are involved). Pero, ang sumatutal niyan, (But what boils down is that) all mothers will do everything for their child,” she said.
“Saving Grace” turned out to be a project that the actress wanted to do early on. As a fan of the Korean adaptation, she recalled how she encouraged Dreamscape Entertainment head Kylie Manalo-Balagtas to see the drama for herself, knowing that its story would resonate with Filipino audiences.
“When I was called for this, na ito pala ang gagawin. Sabi ko [kay Kylie], ‘Ohmigosh, remember na minessage kita?’ Tapos ayun na nga. Happy ako kasi sinuggest ko siya [and nagkatotoo]. Ang saya,” she added.
(When I was informed that I would do this project, I told Kylie, “Ohmigosh, remember that I messaged you about this?” Then it happened. I’m happy that it was something that I suggested and it came true.)
Led by Julia Montes, the drama also stars Sharon Cuneta, Jennica Garcia, Christian Bables, Zia Grace, and Sam Milby.
