Long before she soared to stardom as the new generation Mars Ravelo superhero Darna, Jane de Leon was dreaming of joining the entertainment industry, first by joining beauty pageants and auditioning for modeling gigs.

In 2015, she was discovered and introduced to Star Magic by talent manager Tyronne Escalante. Jane recalls the time she first set foot in ABS-CBN, saying, “Noong first time kong makatuntong dito sa ABS-CBN, I remember I was 14 or 15 years old back then, grabe, wow! Well, hindi pa ako nakapupunta ng Disneyland pero feeling ko kapag may mga nangangarap na mga kabataan natin na gustong mag-artista, ganu’n iyong mararamdaman nila. Like, ‘Wow! Nakatuntong ako ng ABS!’ and ganu’n iyong naramdaman ko. Of course, may excitement. Nandoon iyong mas napu-push ka lalo na kapag may nakikita kang mga stars at nakakasalubong here sa ABS-CBN. And of course, s’yempre may kaba,” Jane recounts, clearly still excited and humbled to be surrounded by the artists she looks up to.

Since joining Star Magic, Jane landed supporting roles in projects such as Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla’s fantasy series La Luna Sangre and Derek Ramsay and Coleen Garcia’s movie Ex With Benefits. But what can be considered her breakthrough project was Jericho Rosales and Yam Concepcion’s teleserye, Halik.

Before making her small screen debut as this iconic superhero, she flexed her acting muscles first for a recurring guest role in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

Jane de Leon Photography by Dookie Ducay

Related Story: Flying High: The Rise Of Jane De Leon As The Iconic Darna

Prior to getting those roles, Jane had her fair share of rejections in the industry that only strengthened her resolve to persevere and succeed.“Pagdating sa rejections talaga, it’s very normal sa aming lahat na mga artista, even me noong nagsisimula ako. Mapa-commercial, teleserye, or movies. But for me, maganda siyang stepping stone siguro and nakatutulong din iyon for me to be a better person and mas mamo-motivate pa ako for my future and sa goals ko para sa showbiz. And iyong mga bagay na iyon, hinding-hindi ko malilimutan kasi kasama iyon sa journey ko—ang ma-reject,” Jane thoughtfully looks back.

Jane’s patience and hard work finally paid off when she landed the titular role of Darna for its much-awaited ABS-CBN series adaptation.

Jane considers Darna the role of a lifetime, but she admits it comes with tough challenges considering various factors involved in playing the character.“Sa Darna, I have three characters: I have young Narda, present Narda and of course, Darna, so challenging talaga. Hindi lang siya basta Darna kasi tatlong characters iyong pino-portray ko. [There are] the stunts and harness. Puro pasa na talaga ako all over my body, sadyang tinakpan lang ng makeup ngayon. Sanay na akong masaktan,” she laughs.

Thankfully, Darna is a commercial success across leading digital platforms with the pilot week accumulating over 41 million combined views on YouTube alone. It also became the most watched show on iWantTFC and took over trending topics on social media.

Related Story: Inside Jane De Leon’s Glamorous 24th Birthday Party

As Jane basks in this success and newfound fame, the actress takes comfort and guidance from her Star Magic family and relies on their pieces of advice. “Always be humble and, of course, walang madali sa umpisa,” she tells us. “For me, grateful ako na naging part ako ng Star Magic because maraming mga veterans and mga artists ngayon na malalaki na na nagsimula dito and legacy na rin ito eh kaya I’m so blessed [and thankful] to my Star Magic family.”

The actress says that finding a family amid the hectic world of entertainment gives her security and purpose. This is what she found in Star Magic.“Para silang real family... Nand’yan sila through ups and downs and ’yun ’yung pinaka-importante sa akin—’yung family and love,” she says.

As she looks forward to a stronger partnership with Star Magic, Jane also considers her passion as fuel for a long-time career in acting.“It’s my passion. Nakikita ko ’yung happiness ko dito sa trabaho. Nag-e-enjoy ako, not just because gusto ko iyong ginagawa ko as an artist and I love to act but also other than that, na-e-enjoy ko siya and nade-develop ko iyong character ko and nagiging better person ako as Jane de Leon,” the modern-day Darna concludes.

On Jane: Dress by LSW

The Star Magic artists gathered for a 2022 year-ender cover feature, to cap Metro's celebration of the premier talent management's 30th anniversary in the industry. Photography by Dookie Ducay and Jharwin Castañeda

Related Story: Star Magic's 30th Anniversary Celebration Culminates With This Metro Cover Feature

Photography by Dookie Ducay

Creative direction by Eldzs Mejia

Art direction by Raff Colmenar

Sittings editor: Grace Libero-Cruz

Makeup by RB Chanco

Hairstyling by Ernesto Jamelarin

Styling by Myrrh Lao To, assisted by Mack Bersalona, Josh Galang and Mai Chua

Interviewer: Grace Diez

Shoot coordination: Red Dimaandal and Kate Paras-Santiago