Luck may have scored Sanya Lopez the break she had been waiting for after getting discovered by The Master Showman German “Kuya Germs” Moreno, but her hard work brought her to stardom.
She was merely in the audience in one of the GMA Studios watching her brother, now Kapuso heartthrob and one of the leading men in the current primetime series Meant To Be, Jak Roberto, performing in the now defunct Walang Tulugan. That was five years ago.
Fast forward to 2017, Lopez is now a household name after she breathed life to Danaya, one of the Sang’gres in Encantadia.
Lopez was in Vancouver recently for the Kapu-show: Encantahan at Saya sa Canada on-screen partner, Rocco Nacino. The May 12 show was memorable for Lopez as it was her first trip abroad.
With a growing fan base, she is just getting the hang of being recognized as “Danaya” in public. It surprised her that even in Canada, the Filipinos there refer to her as the character in Encantadia.
A flattered Lopez shared, “One of the memories that I took with me from Canada ay yung pag nasa labas kami, may bumabati sakin ng Danaya, tapos saka nila maaalalang ay Sanya nga pala.”
With the fans’ warm welcome, she became more excited to perform in the show. Lopez got too busy preparing for it and had little time going around Canada. When asked about her travel plans, she smiled and admitted that she failed to see famous tourist spots.
“First time ko talaga out of the country, so I was really looking forward to seeing everything. Nasa plano talaga namin na makapag-Stanley Park, but unfortunately umuulan noong nandoon kami. Pero yung mere fact na naramdaman ko yung lamig, nakapag lakad-lakad sa daan, and went to different restaurants, na-excite talaga ako!”
However, the reward came in shortly after the Vancouver crowd showed her love and brought in huge banners while screaming out her name. Lopez can’t help but talk about plans of going back to Canada.
“Everything about the trip was an instant favorite kasi eh. Pero gusto ko pa sanang ma-explore ulit ang Vancouver, and mas matagal. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko, babalik-balikan ko ang Canada because I also gained new friends there.”
Now that Encantadia has ended, Lopez wants to express her deep gratitude to everyone in the show, from Director Mark Reyes to fellow actors, as well as the production team. Apart from it opening a lot of new opportunities for her, she was also able to prove her talent in acting and found a new family along the way. She is now preparing for more challenges in her career, and she vows to face them all head on.