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In Atlantika, Valerie Concepcion plays Elisa, a mortal who grows up in the underwater kingdom thinking that she is the rightful heir to the throne.
Circumstances allowed her to live a life of luxury, power, and fame. But everything she has known, right from the moment she arrived, has been a lie. In Atlantika, Valerie Concepcion plays Elisa, a mortal who grows up in the underwater kingdom thinking that she is the rightful heir to the throne. As a child, Elisa was there at the right time when Barracud (Ariel Rivera) needed a replacement for Amaya, one of the kingdom’s lost princesses. As kids, Aquano originally brought an injured Elisa to Atlantika for Ereus (Emilio Garcia) to heal her, but Barracud took advantage of the opportunity to erase Elisa’s memory and train her as Atlantika’s princess. Elisa grew up thinking that she is Amaya, without any memory of a past that she involuntarily left behind. Some people may wonder how Elisa can breathe underwater despite being a mortal. But Valerie explains, “‘Yun nga e. Feeling ko, si Barracud na gumawa ng paraan doon. Kasi siya din nagtanggal ng memory ko and everything (else about who I was before).” Of course, as the “princess” of Atlantika, Valerie gets to wear royal garb, although she doesn’t need prosthetics for her role (Amaya is only half-Atlantikan and therefore does not have gills). “I like (my costume) very much. Astig, kasi di ba before, puro mga sexy ‘yung mga outfit? Tapos this time, naka-cover halos lahat. But still, maganda.” When it comes to playing Elisa, Valerie says that she likes the way her character is developing. “Gusto ko ‘yung role ko kasi iba’t-ibang emotions ‘yung pinapakita niya. Nagiging maldita siya kay Reyna Celebes, (tapos) sunud-sunod siya kay Barracud. (Tapos) ma-i-inlove (pa) siya dito sa isang Senturyon, so umiikot ‘yung character.” As the heir to Atlantika’s throne, Valerie’s character inevitably has a lot of scenes with Ms. Jean Garcia, who plays Queen Celebes. Valerie shares that she was intimidated at first, but the veteran actress was nothing like her first impression. “At first kasi, natatakot ako (kay Ms. Jean Garcia). Kasi wow, si Jean Garcia ito! And noong sinabi ko sa kaniya na ‘Naku, Tita, tayo magkasama!’ (para sa isang scene namin), sabi niya, ‘Naku, sweetheart, kaya mo ‘yan!’ Ginaganoon niya ako. So far, sa mga eksena naman namin, tinutulungan niya ako.” Valerie is also one of the youngest cast members on the set of the primetime fantaserye, and she says that her co-actors’ term of endearment for her is “baby.” “Sina Tito Ariel, (laging sinasabi), ‘How are you baby?’ Sina Tito (Rudy) Fernandez (din), kinakamusta nila ako palagi. Pag dumadating ako, ganoon bati nila sa akin, ‘Hi, baby!’ Tingin nila, ako (ang) baby sa set!” Valerie says with a laugh. When it comes to emotional scenes, Valerie usually finds inspiration in real-life situations. “‘Yung scene namin na umiiyak ako, tinatanong ko ‘yung dama ko kung prinsesa ba talaga ako ng Atlantika. Kasi super naiyak talaga ako noon dahil that day, namatay lola ko. October 25. It was six in the morning! Tapos ganoon ako umiyak! Sabi nga ni Direk, wow, isa ka na sa mga beauty queen ngayon! Isip isip ako, ‘Kung alam niyo lang!’” Valerie imparts that she and her grandmother were very close before, especially since “Everyday siyang pumupunta sa amin, kahit taga-Ubando, Bulacan (pa) siya.” Now that Atlantika’s plot is getting more fast paced, especially with the identities of Ruana and Amaya slowly being revealed, Valerie says that a lot of twists are underway. “‘Paano kapag pumunta na ‘yung mga totoong prinsesa sa Atlantika, ano na mangyayari sa akin? Parurusahan ba ako or something? We don’t know. Knowing na best friend ako ni Amaya di ba? Hahayaan ba niya na parurusahan ako and everything?” -- Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. There’s only one way to find out! Tune in to Atlantika every weeknight, right after Asian Treasures!