From being that teeny bopper who immediately captured us with her unmistakable beauty and promising talent, we’ve witnessed how Maja Salvador has exquisitely bloomed into becoming one of the most admired royalties in the local entertainment scene.
But more than just being a dancefloor diva, which made her among the favorite mainstays of ASAP through the years and earned her the Dance Royalty title, another reason that made us look up to her even more is with how a truly great actress she really is, as seen in her award-winning both portrayals on television and movies.
In her almost two-decade career, she has starred in a slew of remarkable teleseryes. However, it was arguably her bida-kontrabida stints that astounded us the most as those absolutely enabled her to unleash her full potential and versatility as an actress.
Thus, in this episode of Stellar’s QUEENDOM, let’s take a look back on four of her most unforgettable projects, wherein she’s able to prove how a “superior bida-kontrabida” she could be.
Ten years since she began her showbiz journey, Maja astonished us with her first-ever take on that type of role through the 2013 primetime drama Ina, Kapatid, Anak, wherein she played the rebellious Margaux Marasigan. She may be good friends with her co-star Kim Chiu in real life, but that didn’t hinder them from being feisty to one another on-screen. Her performance here bestowed her Best Drama Actress nominations from the Golden Screen TV Awards and the 27th PMPC Star Awards for TV.
The following year, she went on to captivate us with her impeccable portrayal as the ferocious anti-heroine Nicole Esquivel in The Legal Wife. According to her, portraying a mistress was indeed a big risk for her because we all know that “nobody wants to be associated with homewrecker”. Luckily for her, the risk she took (and even the bruises she acquired during filming!) paid off as it became one of the most well-loved series because of how totally enthralling her and Angel Locsin’s intense confrontations were. Her character might be sorely hated, but we couldn’t help but love her impeccable performance.
In 2017, the 32-year-old actress once again stunned us with her stronger and fiercer return as the titular bida-kontrabida in the controversial soap opera Wildflower. Playing the role of Ivy Aguas, a.k.a. Ivy Cruz, Kapamilya viewers found themselves hooked not just with her journey as a kindhearted protagonist and a ruthless antagonist, but with her mind-blowing encounters with her foes that never failed to trend online. Thus, it wasn’t only the audiences who got impressed by her exceptional acting, but various award-giving bodies as well, such as Gawad Tanglaw Awards and Asian Contents Awards 2019, which bestowed her tremendous Best Actress trophies.
And just last year, Maja took on her most challenging roles to date through the well-loved primetime gothic drama The Killer Bride. Well, because unlike her previous stints, being Camila Dela Torre required her to show different emotions in different levels. However, did you know that she was actually not the first choice to play it? But since she badly wanted it, she auditioned and luckily made it! Doing the series was indeed a pressure according to Maja basically because of how a huge success Wildflower was. However, due to the exciting scenes and the unexpected twists and turns of this narrative, we all know that it became a major success!
She may have been an infuriating kontrabida, but Maja Salvador has always been one of those actresses that we’ve admired all the time! Keep on slaying, Her Majasty!