Dwan was the "Ann Darrow" of the 1976 remake film, King Kong. Her origins prior to the film were unknown, except that her parents named her Dwan to give her uniqueness, as most girls named after sunrise are often named Dawn. She had been an aspiring actress who was invited onto the yacht of a Hollywood director, who had been sailing the Indian Ocean in search of a filming location and hosted a party onboard. For unexplained reasons the yacht exploded and sunk, killing everyone on board save for Dwan, who got to a life raft. She drifted until she was rescued by the merchant vessel Petrox Explorer, eventually making its way to Skull Island. On land she was abducted by natives who sought to make her a sacrifice to their feared diety, King Kong.