Dianne dela Fuente is best known for playing Maria Amor in Pangako Sa 'Yo.
Maria Amor was the rival of Yna Macaspac (Kristine Hermosa) for the care and attention of Amor Powers (Eula Valdes). She was mistaken to be Amor's missing daughter, who actually turned out to be Yna.
In order to take revenge on Amor, Claudia Buenavista (Jean Garcia) killed Maria Amor, who was revealed to be Claudia's missing daughter all along.
During Dianne’s PEP Spotlight interview in May 2022, she recalled how she landed one of the most unforgettable roles in her career.
Dianne auditioned in front of Pangako Sa ‘Yo director Rory Quintos, who asked her to say a phrase with different emotions.
She told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), “Siguro, thank God I did well in that audition and I got the part of Maria Amor. Alam ko marami pa kaming nag-audition for that role and suddenly they said na, ‘Oh, sige start ka na sa Pangako Sa ‘Yo.’
“Actually, sa totoo lang I really don’t know how my role was supposed to go into Pangako Sa ‘Yo. But then alam mo, ang ganda noong naging flow and story noong character ko talaga."
Dianne is also grateful that Pangako Sa 'Yo gave her the opportunity to work with veteran actresses like Jean Garcia and Eula Valdes.
She continued, “It was really a big break for me kasi from mahirap na inaapi, sinasabunutan, sinasampal ni Ms. Jean before, to the point na naging mayaman ako at naging anak ako ni Eula Valdes, and naging kontrabida ako.
“So I’m like, oh my gosh, grabe yung opportunity na yun kasi working with Ms. Eula and Ms. Jean, talagang if you really observe how they act, yun ang nakatulong sa akin, e.
“Talagang inaral ko yung acting nila, I learned a lot from them. That’s why siguro, sabi ko, I will try to apply. Observer kasi ako, e.
“And also to be among great artists, talagang mape-pressure ka and mai-inspire ka to do your best, e. So, when I see them cry, when I see them act, I have to be like this.
"Kasi you want the show to succeed and para ma-prove mo na worth it, na tama yung pagkakapili niyo sa akin.”
ENCOUNTER WITH A VENDOR
Dianne did so well as the kontrabida to Kristine Hermosa's character, she actually had her share of haters.
Particularly memorable was an encounter she had with a vendor when she visited Baguio during the height of Pangako Sa ‘Yo.
She recalled with a smile, “Alam mo, sabi sa akin, ‘Ayaw kitang pagbentahan, maldita ka. Ayaw ko sa iyo, maldita ka!’
“And then [sabi ko], ‘Ay, show lang po yun, Manang. Hindi naman po totoo iyon.’
“May hawak pa siyang payong, tutusukin niya ata ako!”
But Dianne and her father were able to see the positive side of this incident.
She said, “Sabi ng daddy ko, ‘Ay okay, at least that’s good. Effective yung pag-acting mo, di ba?'"
Dianne understood that many of these fans were protective of Kristine.
She continued, “And may mga bashers na rin ako at that time noong naging kontrabida ako! Kasi ang kakumpitensya ko sa attention ni Miss Eula was Kristine. E, ang fan base ni Kristine, ang laki!
“So nagagalit sila sa akin, nagagalit sila sa akin na, ‘Huwag ka na nga makisingit!’
“To the point na kini-criticize nila how I look, na maitim daw ako, to that point! Sabi ko, ‘Oh my gosh, kaya ko ba ito?’
“E, buti noon wala namang social media na you can freely express kung ano yung iniisip mo. Dati ite-text ka lang, I don’t know how they got my number, makaka-receive daw ako ng message or sometimes, mga newspapers, tabloids, and they will say what they think of you.
“So sabi ko, swerte generation namin with regards to being criticized for how you look and because kontrabida ako, talagang ikaw ba naman, e, awayin mo si Kristine, talagang magagalit sila sa iyo.”
After Pangako Sa ‘Yo, Dianne did a few more TV shows until she decided to leave showbiz and settle down.
She recently made a comeback via GMA-7’s False Positive, where she played the role of a vlogger.
Dianne is open to taking on more shows and hopes her comeback opens the door to more opportunities.
She said of her role in Pangako Sa ‘Yo, “I’m very thankful for that role. Sabi ko, at least before I got married and settled, I was able to leave something behind sa showbiz to be remembered by.
“And I’m hoping na sa pagbabalik ko, the audience will like how I did in False Positive and manganganak pa siya ng mga shows later on.”
Watch Dianne's full PEP Spotlight interview here: