Janella Salvador is older and wiser, ready to take on new challenges including playing villain in an iconic superhero story, without neglecting her being a loving mom behind the scenes.
Celebrating her 10th showbiz anniversary, Janella talked about balancing motherhood and her career as an actress, how it changed her perspective, and even made her more confident as a woman.
Magandang Buhay hosts Jolina Magdangal, Melai Cantiveros, and Jolina Magdangal took her to a trip down memory lane via “Hugot Box” segment. They talked about her notable projects through the years, starting with the phenomenal series that launched her to mega popularity, “Be Careful with My Heart.” It was her first show and audition. Then-14-year-old Janella was shy and didn’t know she’d be in showbiz. But she eventually fell in love with acting. After all, it’s imprinted in her DNA as a ‘Salvador.’
A lead role via daytime series “Oh My G” came right after “Be Careful with My Heart.” It is said that the universe always gives you what you need. At the time, an inspirational show like “Oh My G” where her character talks to God is exactly what she needed, “Sakto, as a teenager, I was just finding myself. So, ang dami ko din lessons na natutunan ko sa kanya.”
With her huge following and beloved sweet girl image, it was only expected of her to take on the quintessential loveteam route. “Born For You” came next. She was paired with Elmo Magalona. Several sequences in the teleserye were shot in Japan, and Janella still remembers how fun it went.
Next, “The Killer Bride” which showcased her intense acting prowess, “It was one of the best roles na it made me grow as an actress.” The teleserye gave birth to the beloved JoshNella tandem. Now fans are elated as Janella and Joshua Garcia are reunited on screen via Mars Ravelo’s Darna, where she plays Valentina.
However, the reunion almost didn’t happen since Janella had second thoughts about pursuing showbiz after enjoying her quiet life in the States and her first year of motherhood, “Pero toward the end na-miss ko talaga ‘yung industry.”
Going back to showbiz and being a mom is a big juggling act. It entails sacrifices. Not only is it physically demanding, but it’s also emotionally hard, especially since lock-in tapings under new normal sometimes take a whole month.
“Minsan umiiyak lang talaga ako mag-isa sa kwarto kasi nami-miss ko siya. Buti naman ‘pag rest day pumapayag naman sila na mag-visit si Jude lang,” shared Janella. Thankfully, she has dependable ‘angels’ or helpers at home who look after her son, Jude. On some days, Jude’s father Markus Paterson would come to visit him at home.
From there, the momshies clarified issues surrounding Janella and Markus’ relationship. Without going into details, Janella answered, “Masaya kami individually. Our focus is Jude. He is the priority.”
Motherhood indeed changes a woman’s perspective. For Janella, it brought her maturity “and the confidence na parang kahit anong harapin ko, kakayanin ko para sa kanya.” That’s why no matter how difficult, she know’s it’s worth it, “Iniisip ko na lang, lahat ng ginagawa ko para talaga sa kanya, para sa future niya.”
Janella was then joined by one of her best friends and Mars Ravelo’s Darna co-star Joj Agpangan, who shared more about the former’s sacrifices for Baby Jude.
Celebrate the joys and pain of motherhood, and a woman’s extraordinary strength to do everything at once, with Janella and the momshies in this episode of Magandang Buhay The Podcast.