What Dimples learns from The Greatest Love

Anyone can see that Dimples Romana’s latest role — as Amanda Alegre on the teleserye The Greatest Love — suits her perfectly.

? Dimples plays the eldest daughter of the show’s main character Gloria Alegre, played by  Sylvia Sanchez. She and Amanda don’t have the best relationship, which Dimples says is something she can relate to.

? These days, Dimples not only tries her best to be a good wife and mother, but she also exerts effort to be a dutiful daughter. However, that wasn’t always the case. Dimples admits that she was something of a wild child when she was younger. That stressed her mother out to no end and put a strain on their relationship.

However, Dimples clarifies that she doesn’t have it in her to be as harsh to her own mother as Amanda is to Gloria, not even back in her rebellious days. In fact, when Dimples started working on The Greatest Love, at first she had trouble pulling off the scenes in which Amanda and Gloria had to butt heads.

It took a pep talk from the show’s creative manager Ricky Lee — who took Dimples aside to explain where Amanda was coming from and why she acts the way she does — before the actress managed to deliver what was required of her. But once she had a greater understanding of Amanda’s motives and personality, it became easier for her to get into her character.

“It was hard in the beginning,” Dimples admits. “Whenever I was at odds with my own mother, I never had the courage that Amanda has. When it was explained to me why Amanda is acting the way she does, then I understood the nuances of her character.”

Dimples knows that her character may not be the most relatable or sympathetic one on the show, but she hopes that Kapamilya viewers will give Amanda a chance, because although she is prickly, she might grow on them anyway. Dimples believes that as the story of The Greatest Love unfolds on the small screen, viewers will slowly come to understand her character just like she did.?Dimples says she hopes the show will bring healing to Kapamilya viewers whose relationships — with their own children, parents, or both — aren’t in good shape.

“We are hoping that the teleserye The Greatest Love will bring a greater understanding between a mother and daughter or a mother and son.”

Whenever Dimples looks back on her rebellious phase and all the pain she put her own mother through back then, she feels a strong urge to make up for all of it. Dimples has tried to do that by doing her best at work. She has also strived to become the kind of parent her mother would want her to be.

“We should be considerate of our parents’ feelings in everything that we do. I was my mom’s headache while growing up. Wala na po kasi si Papa noon. Gusto ko po bumawi kay Mama.”

Being part of The Greatest Love has also strengthened her resolve to make sure her own mother feels loved as well.

“My Mama and I are close but I’m so guilty of not being able to spend as much time as I should with her,” Dimples wrote on Instagram last month. “And this came as an awakening for me. I needed to change things. Now I call her more often.”  —With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio