JUST IN: Ysabel Ortega is Jamie Robinson of 'Voltes V: Legacy'

Mga Kapuso! Direk Mark Reyes has found his Jamie Robinson and she's taking the form of promising young actress Ysabel Ortega.

Jamie Robinson is one of the five members of the Voltes V team and a trained martial artist. She is the voice of reason among the male members and her cool demeanor makes her the perfect fifth (and only female) member of the team. She pilots the Volt Lander (feet).

In an intimate meeting held on February 24, 2020, the young actress was at a loss for words when she found out that she would be playing one of the titular roles in the much-awaited live-action adaptation of the hit anime series Voltes V.

During the meeting, Direk Mark commended the young Kapuso actress following her back-to-back auditions for the role.

He said, “Well, we called you here today kasi we have a problem. You didn't do well in the auditions, you did very well. Congratulations, you are Jamie Robinson of Voltes V.

“No, really cause you did very well. I mean halfway through your auditions, I was already telling Miss Darling [Pulido], 'Miss Darling, she has my vote. We have her.'”

Upon hearing the confirmation, Ysabel couldn't hold back her tears and wept with joy.

“Naiiyak po ako. Thank you,” said Ysabel.

Watch this exclusive behind-the-scenes clip:

Six years in the making

After she got cast as Jamie Robinson, Ysabel was then reminded by Direk Mark of the responsibility she's carrying now that she's officially part of the show.

“You don't know the responsibility that you're getting into.

“Miss Gigi [Santiago-Lara] was in my house six years ago when I was presenting her the idea of Voltes V. Six years. This is probably like 'Encantadia,' where your life would change. People will own you.

“However, this is a different generation now, because the Titos of Manila like me will also watch this show and then the younger people, okay?

“If you read on social media the fan casting, they were choosing a lot of people. There's a couple that recommended you but they didn't think you auditioned. So talagang out of the blue you showed up.

“On your first audition, I already told them, she's on my shortlist. And then when you auditioned again for the callback, you did so well.”

And according to the acclaimed director, “Need we doubt? It's in the DNA of this girl!”

Ysabel Ortega is the daughter of former action star turned politician Lito Lapid and former actress Michelle Ortega.

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In an exclusive interview with 24 Oras reporter Lhar Santiago and GMANetwork.com, the young actress shared her excitement in bagging one of the most coveted roles in television.

“Honestly until now, 'di pa rin po ako makapaniwala na ako po si Jamie. Until now, I'm so grateful to GMA and to the Voltes V team na binigyan po nila ako ng opportunity to be part of this big project.

“Especially po na ang Voltes V ay naging malapit po sa puso ng lahat.

“Overall, I'm so grateful.”

Similarly, the actress revealed that she has been training non-stop in order to bag the role.

“When I found out na magkakaroon po ng auditions, I made sure na I was gonna train na.

“I did MMA [Mixed Martial Arts] and I researched more on Voltes V. I watched almost half of the episodes and kinilala ko po si Jaime even more than I knew.

“And 'yung dun sa stunts, I made sure I was physically prepared for those scenes.”

Now that she officially joined the cast, Ysabel admitted she still has more to learn to give justice to the character that Filipinos loved.

“I'm going to do a lot of training. Kasi po si Jaime is trained in martial arts so I'm going to make sure I live up to that character --physically, mentally, emotionally -- I can't wait!

“I promise I'm going to make everyone proud and do the character justice.”

Ysabel Ortega joined the Kapuso network on September 26, 2019.

Voltes V: Legacy is one of the most-awaited programs in the Kapuso Network.

As of writing, the program has already chosen its titular characters namely, the Armstrong brothers Steve, Robert, and John, Mark Gordon, Jamie Robinson.

On February 8, it was announced that Robert “Big Bert” Armstrong will be played by Matt Lozano, Little John Armstrong will be played by Raphael Landicho, and Mark Gordon will be played by Radson Flores.

Meanwhile, playing the role of Steve Armstrong will be none other than Kapuso actor Miguel Tanfelix.

For more updates on Voltes V: Legacy, tune in only here on GMANetwork.com.

Meanwhile, refresh your memory about Voltes V in this gallery: