Janella Salvador. Image: Instagram/@superjanella
Janella Salvador has made waves for her role as Regina Vanguardia and Valentina in “Mars Ravelo’s Darna,” and she hopes that her role can inspire women to do anything they put their minds into.
During an ambush interview with reporters, Salvador said she became more open to accepting various roles after becoming a mother to her two-year-old son Jude. “[After becoming a mom], feeling ko nga mas matapang ako ngayon na tumanggap ng roles because why not? Wala naman akong tinatago ngayon, this is me. This is who I am.”
(After becoming a mom, I became more confident to accept different types of roles. Because why not? I am not hiding anything now, this is me. This is who I am.)
Regina Vanguardia is a lawyer and vlogger if she wasn’t being the Viper queen, and who appeared to have been killed just right after discovering Darna’s true identity in the show’s Jan. 26 episode. She was then resurrected by Borgo and his henchmen, but this time, returned to become even more venomous sans her memories as her former herself.
As Regina and Valentina are known for their undeniable sex appeal, Salvador however wants to take control in carefully choosing her roles for her next project.
“Hindi ako tatanggap nang tatanggap. It really depends on how [the role] is portrayed, if may redemption or if it’s properly portrayed,” she shared, saying that she wants her son to be proud of her as an actress. “Gusto ko siyempre, maging proud ang anak ko na nagawa ng nanay ko ‘to kahit daring siya. Gusto ko maappreciate niya craft ko.”
(I am not going to just accept any role. It really depends on how the role is portrayed. If the character will be redeemed in the story or if it’s properly portrayed. I want my son to be proud of what his mother has done even if it’s a daring role. I want him to appreciate my craft.)
Known for being passionate about women empowerment, Salvador does not agree with the traditional belief that mothers are supposedly meant to stay at home. She then hopes that she can inspire women to be capable of doing anything they want.
“‘Yung thinking na [mothers are only meant to stay at home] ay sobrang (so) outdated na because honestly, women can do anything they want. And they should be able to do anything they want,” she said.
“Because I believe we are capable and nothing is stopping us, we can make our own money if we want to. And there’s so many single moms out there who I look up to, and I believe that single mothers are so strong,” Salvador added.
The actress also candidly revealed that while Jude doesn’t recognize her in her Valentina costume, he mutters “mama” whenever she appears onscreen as Regina.
“[Being a mom] is the best experience of my life so far. Happy ako. I can’t believe I have a two-year-old na. It’s nice to see him grow into the person that he’s turning out to be,” she added. EDV