Will Marian Rivera star opposite Dingdong Dantes in ‘Descendants of the Sun’?

MANILA, Philippines — GMA star Marian Rivera is flattered that fans of “The Descendants of the Sun” have been clamoring for her to be her husband Dingdong Dantes’ leading lady in the hit Korean TV series’ Filipino version.

“Thank you naman na ako ‘yung kino-consider nila,” Marian told the press, including Philstar.com, during the recent launch of her first fashion collection in collaboration with local brand Kultura.

She said her two-month-old baby, her second with Dantes, is her priority. But should GMA offer the role to her, she is willing to give it a shot — but on one condition.

“Kung tatanungin mo ko, sabi ko nga, tuloy-tuloy na ‘to, itotodo ko na talaga,” Marian said, emphasizing that she wants to focus on motherhood first.

“Pero malay mo naman, ‘pag nilapitan ‘yung location, makakauwi nang maaga,” she said, hinting that if the series’ location and schedule would complement her new role as a mother of two, then she might consider accepting it.

Although willing to work with Dingdong on the project, she does not want to assume that it would be given to her.

“Pero hindi ko talaga alam kung sinong kukunin nila,” she stressed.

“Uy, baka mamaya may napili na silang leading lady ha, baka mamaya magulat sila kung bakit ko sinasabi ‘to!” she joked.

“Ang hirap mamili kasi may newborn ako, two months pa lang, ang hirap mag-adjust. Pero sabi ko nga, baka mamaya sabihin kong ‘Yes, kayang-kaya ko ‘yan,’ hindi pala ibigay sa’kin, ang hirap naman… Baka kasi may leading lady na.”

Should she get the job, Marian admitted it would a big adjustment for their family.

“S’yempre naman na ngayon na kakapanganak ko palang, dalawang buwan palang ‘yung bunso ko, mahirap pa para sa’kin.”

She shared that when she gave birth with her firstborn, Zia, she focused on doing endorsements and commercial campaigns and it took her two and a half years before she went back to doing a TV series.

Nonetheless, Marian assured that she can balance work with family.

“Pero marami akong milk, that’s for sure!” she declared, hinting that she has stored a lot of breast milk for her newborn, Ziggy, should she need to return to work immediately.

‘Uy, naglalambing na ‘yung ‘Tadhana’ na bumalik na ko sa kanila tapos may letter pa sila sa’kin. Sabi ko, ‘Sige, I’ll try, baka end of this month, baka mag-oo na ko’,” she said of her weekly drama anthology series, “Tadhana.” 

Though she has not seen “The Descendants of the Sun,” many people assured her that she fits the role and that the series ends happily ever after. 

“Pero sabi nila maganda ‘yung kwento, tapos nagkatuluyan sila. Tapos ‘yung babae may similarities daw sa’kin,” Marian shared.

“The Descendants of the Sun" tells the story of an army captain sent on a peacekeeping mission to a fictional war-torn country, Uruk, where he meets and falls in love with a surgeon working with a medical NGO.

Last April, GMA announced that in the Filipino version of the K-drama series, Dingdong will play the leading man, Captain Yoo Si Jin, Big Boss of the Alpha Team.

No official announcements were made yet on the leading lady, but a report said Jennylyn Mercado will play as Dingdong’s love interest, the Beauty and Doctor Kang Mo Yeon. 

The original series ran on GMA from July to September 2016.

The 16-episode series was hailed for reviving the so-called "Hallyu” or Korean Wave of K-pop and K-dramas that spread across Asia and beyond since the early 2000s. 

The drama’s lead stars, leading lady Song Hye-kyo, 37, and heartthrob Song Joong-ki, 33, were seen as Asia's answer to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and, like Brangelina, even got their own joint moniker, "Song Song couple.”

The actors wed in a star-studded ceremony in Seoul in October 2017 and their high-profile marriage had since been closely followed by media.

But last June 27, the couple made headlines for announcing their divorce. — With reports from Agence France-Presse