Janella Salvador Has Had Enough of Stereotypes: 'I'm still me, I just gave birth'

Janella Salvador is a woman that continues to surprise. Coming from the trappings of a love team and the usual package of being marketed as one of the country’s next It Girls, the actress and singer has continued to defy stereotypes and expectations and come into her own.

Case in point: her red-orange hair, which she debuted early this year. “It’s my first time going for a fun color. I think I’m more adventurous at this point in my life, and I just randomly thought one day that this color would look good on me; possibly because it’s representative of being a fire sign, and my personality is literally like fire,” Janella tells Cosmo.

While her hair color may seem like such a mundane detail, in an industry where leading ladies and superstars are expected to have long and shiny locks, Janella’s edgy hairdo was a sign that she was coming into her own.

Janella shares that she is taking more control over her image and how she wants the world to perceive her, a far cry from merely two or three years ago, when she wouldn’t have probably thought of changing up her hair color. “I think I’m now learning to stand up for what I want. Because when I was starting in showbiz, I was looking for my own personality and basing it off of what they wanted to see, with so much guidance; so now, I’m really taking control of everything,” she reflects.

Janella is wearing a structured heart top with a skirt by Job Dacon

But while Janella may have faced pressure from all sides to conform and fit herself into a mold, that is no longer the case — especially now that being a mother to two-year-old Jude has given her a clear outlook on life. Today, she combats expectations not just as a celebrity, but as a mother.

Embracing Authenticity

Just like her hair, the star is passionate, confident, and motivated — a true Aries, if you will. So strong is the call for her to enter her era of exploration and self-discovery, that she had mounted an Aries-themed photoshoot to mark her 25th birthday.

“I want to maximize my youth since I’m entering my mid-20s, and really do things that I’ve never done before,” she shares. “I’m in an era where I’m discovering myself and I’m really learning so much about myself right now. [I ask myself], ‘Why am I the way I am?’ ‘Growing up, how did that affect me?’ ‘Why is my personality like this?’ I’ve always been into psychology and studying personalities, so I’m in that stage where I’m really assessing myself.”

The star shares that the journey to discovering herself and standing up for her truth did not happen overnight. “It’s a gradual thing. I’ve always had thoughts questioning if this was really me ever since. Now, I have the courage to put my foot down on things and fight for what I want. At the end of the day, I realized the most important thing is to be authentic, and I want people to see my authenticity,” she reflects.

Janella shares that authenticity is of utmost importance to her now, especially at a time when she is no longer concerned about fitting herself in a box to please industry conventions or standards.

“I got this from La La Land: ‘People love what other people are passionate about,’” she shares. “When you show people that you love something, whether they like it or not, this is me. As long as you have good intentions, there really should be no problem with that.”

Janella, who began her career as a teen star with the show Be Careful With My Heart, bares that she did not always see things this way. “When I was a teenager, I had so many insecurities. I felt like I had to compare myself a lot especially growing up in a competitive industry. [Insecurity] was my biggest battle as a teenager. Even as a kid, I would perform and there were so many other talented kids I would compare myself to. But this time around, I’m just learning to be myself and enjoying my own process,” she explains.

Letting go of her insecurities meant opening doors for new opportunities — including her turn as the dual character of Regina/Valentina, the supervillain in Mars Ravelo’s Darna, alongside Jane de Leon. Although Janella had done a gothic-horror series before, Darna marked the first time she took on a kontrabida role.

Janella is wearing a green dress by Christine Lam

Janella shares that she and 12 other girls had been shortlisted for the iconic role before she was chosen to play the character. “I was actually scared when they offered that role to me. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but there was a voice inside me telling me that I was meant for this. As soon as I read the script, I fell in love with Regina – she has so much angst, character, and her background...I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by,” she shares.

Today, she calls her turn as Regina/Valentina her best role to date — and if anything, proved that she doesn’t have to be typecasted for certain characters. The show even broadened her appeal towards a wider range of fans, including the LGBTQIA+ community. “I love it,” she quips of interacting with her LGBTQIA+ fans. “I love their [Darlentina] edits so much [on Twitter]. They’re so much fun and it’s like a different world for me right now; I’m glad to be a voice for them or represent them. That doesn’t happen a lot, they don’t get that much opportunity. I hope it doesn’t go away,” she adds.

On Being a Stereotype-Defying Mother

A lot has changed for Janella, not just in her career but in herself, ever since she became a mom to Jude. “When I look at Jude, it inspires me to have it all together even if I don’t have it all together sometimes,” she reflects. “It inspires me to be okay so I can help him grow up and have it all together.”

The star shares raising Jude as a single mom has made her more confident in all aspects. She has also learned to become more analytical and practical compared to her younger self, when she was impulsive and spontaneous. “I put my foot down on things. I can say I’m struggling to balance things, but it also exercises my brain to have multiple tasks. Moms are so amazing. I really look up to single mothers who have more than one kid. It’s difficult enough to take care of one,” she shares.

Today, Janella bares that her personal and professional priorities have shifted, as Jude is now always included in her plans. “Every decision I make, [I ask myself] if it would work for my family and Jude. Even with my friends now, they can’t just pull me out of the house any time. They have to tell me one week in advance that they want to go out with me because I can’t be spontaneous anymore. I have to plan things now,” she explains.

Though the demands of work, including lock-in tapings, keep her away from her son, Janella shares that she puts Jude first in everything and makes sure to spend time with him whenever she can.

“When I’m home, I always make sure he sleeps beside me. I don’t want him to get used to sleeping somewhere else. I want him to grow up na sanay siya sa lambing. I want him to be sweet and not hate physical affection. When I have time, I feed him myself, and I make his food. I really plan his breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” she explains, adding that she is lucky to have the help she needs to care for Jude when she’s not there.

“Jude’s growing up to be smart. I just enjoy him becoming his own personality,” Janella says, while adding that her son seems to have picked up many traits from her. “One thing I noticed [is] he’s not anti-social, he just really has his own world. He can entertain himself. I was like that ever since. I can survive with or without friends, even when my mom didn’t make me go out with friends as a kid or have play dates. I was fine by myself. I think he got that from me. He’s also at this stage where he’s having a lot of tantrums as a toddler. I always try to help him work through his emotions. That’s my priority now. There are some kids who grow up not knowing how to regulate their emotions, and I want Jude to be emotionally intelligent. I don’t shout at him. I’m there for him and I listen,” she shares.

Janella is wearing a white gown by Anthony Ramire

Although Janella has no regrets about how things turned out, the star shares she was also thankful that she had received “nothing but love” during her pregnancy, where she spent some time away from the limelight.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I really planned to go to the UK to give birth because I did not want any stress from my pregnancy. I wanted that period to be quiet and peaceful. I was just enjoying my normal life in the UK. I was going to the grocery and walking around the village before everyone found out about Jude. Even when I finally announced that Jude was out, I got so much love from people. It made me realize that people are different now. As much as there’s so many bad things happening nowadays, I realized that Gen Z is more open-minded and they’re smart. I didn’t really get bad comments about having Jude,” she narrates.

Although she had a smooth pregnancy journey with Jude, the hard part was in giving birth, where the star was in labor for two days. “It’s true when they say that you’re going to be in so much pain, but the moment your baby comes out, you really forget what the pain is like. I don’t remember the pain, it’s crazy, even if it was the worst. The moment I saw Jude, it was just like unicorn and clouds,” she shares.

Despite enjoying motherhood, Janella admits that people around her questioned her comeback in showbiz now that she had a baby in tow. “I was receiving a lot of concerns who were there for me [ever] since — ‘What if I don’t come back after giving birth?’ ‘What if I’m not the same as before?’ I guess I just have so much willpower in me. No matter what happens, I was going to get back. I’m a performer and I’m an actress and nothing was going to change that even if I gave birth. I’m still me; I just gave birth,” she declares.

Janella seems to be right on the money so far — after her acclaimed turn as Regina/Valentina, her career is once again on full throttle, with an upcoming concert this year to mark her 10th year in showbiz.

She also wants to release an album, but it’s a process that she doesn’t want to rush on account of music being her first love. When she does, however, don’t expect her to get into the teenybopper hits. “I’m into modern soul that has hints of jazz. I love jazz so my music is going to have that aspect too,” she says.

It’s full speed ahead for Janella Salvador, the proud Aries with a fiery determination to do things her way. “If there’s one thing I learned about myself, [it's that] I love breaking stereotypes. I hate stereotypes. I’m going to prove you wrong if you stereotype me in a certain way. Just let people live and let them be their own person. [You don’t] have to put people in a box.”

PRODUCED BY: Ira Nopuente, Andie Estella

CO-PRODUCED BY: Patricia Melliza

ASSISTED BY: Cass Lazaro

PHOTOGRAPHY: Trish Shishikura, assisted by Japs Suleik, lights provided by Aputure Philippines

ART DIRECTION: Pau Moyano

SET STYLING: AdSet Productions

STYLING: Perry Tabora, assisted by Kirei De Leon

MAKEUP BY: Carissa Cielo Medved

HAIR BY: Florenz John Torrontegui

NAILS BY: Nailandia

Shot on location at B&B Studios