Despite coming from a popular showbiz family, Janella Salvador has successfully stepped out from the shadows of her famous relatives and parents and created her own mark in the local entertainment scene.

And from endearing us with her teeny bopper roles that she played in the early years of her career that started a decade ago, she slowly strips down that image as she begins to take on more mature roles, such as in the highly anticipated Mars Ravelo’s Darna, in which she’s poised to astound us anew with her transformation to the iconic villainess Valentina.

But before that, let’s revisit first her remarkable television performances through the years in this Kapamilya Spotlight feature!

Avid fans of Janella would know that her official acting debut was through the hit daytime drama Be Careful With My Heart, wherein she immediately won our hearts as Nikki, the charming yet quite bratty and conyo middle child of the Lim family. It was well-loved by viewers, so it ran for two years – from 2012 to 2014.

Janella had her first-ever Maalaala Mo Kaya stint in 2014 via the “Selfie” episode. The following year, she was tapped to top-bill the daytime teen inspirational series Oh My G!, wherein we loved her as Sophie Z. Cepeda. She also starred in two Wansapanataym stories, namely, “Fat Patty” and “Christmas Witch”, as well as in the “Pink Dress” episode of MMK alongside Julia Barretto.

Just in case you missed it, she had a brief appearance in the long-running action drama FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano in 2016 as Denise Paulino, who helped Cardo (Coco Martin) and his colleagues in solving the case involving her brother and boyfriend. On that same year, she headlined the musical drama Born For You, wherein she played the lead character Sam Kazuko, an aspiring young Filipina singer who grew up in Japan. She also headlined the Wansapanataym narrative “Holly & Mau” opposite ex-loveteam partner Elmo Magalona.

In 2017, she top-billed another Wansapanataym story titled Jasmin’s “Flower Power” with Heaven Peralejo; then two MMK episodes, namely, “Mangga” and “Cards” in 2018.

She then portrayed Moira Dela Torre in the “White Ribbon” episode of MMK in 2019 that featured popular singer-songwriter’s life story, which was followed by her daring teleserye comeback through The Killer Bride, wherein she astounded us with her exceptional performance as the enigmatic Emma Bonaobra and warm Vida D. Dela Cuesta.

As her team-up with Joshua Garcia was well-received by the audiences, they were once again paired with each other in the “Tren” episode of MMK in 2020.

And now, we all can’t wait to see Janella’s grand transformation into the gorgeous and fierce Regina Vanguardia, a.k.a. Valentina, in the upcoming Mars Ravelo’s Darna, that is set to premiere on August 15, Monday, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, TV5 and iWantTFC!