Body Talk with Maja Salvador

It was the search for her long-lost father, Ross Rival (Rosauro “Cheche” Salvador of the famous Salvador Clan, brother of former actors Lou Salvador Jr. and Chona Sandoval), that landed Maja Salvador in showbiz.

“I wanted to be a supermodel,” recalled Maja (5’4” tall and weighing 102 lbs.) who’s turning 19 on Oct. 4 (Libra), “so my mom enrolled me in a modeling workshop in Sta. Lucia (Cainta, Rizal) when I was 15. Farrah, daughter of Tita Chit (Ramos, now Maja’s manager), was my classmate. My mom approached Tita Chit, ‘I know you; you’re a reporter. You’re close to the Salvadors, aren’t you? You know, my daughter has been looking for her father. Tulungan mo naman kami.’  So Tita Chit arranged a meeting between me and my dad and it was covered by The Buzz. Tita Charo (Santos, head of ABS-CBN Television) saw it. ‘Sino ang batang ‘yon na naghahanap ng Tatay niya?’ A meeting was arranged the next day.”

Since then, Maja has appeared in four TV shows (starting with It Might Be You) and two movies (First Day High and Sukob), and is now topbilled in a new one, Pedro Penduko at ang  mga Engkantao (Saturday nights on ABS-CBN, with Matt Evans). She’s also that pretty face — and young, beautiful body — on those giant Folded & Hung billboards.

But Maja is more than just a pretty face and a young, beautiful body.

In a two-part episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya?, she easily acquitted herself as the cerebral-palsy-stricken daughter of the Vilma Santos (newly-proclaimed governor of Batangas).

“I’ll never forget my death scene,” said Maja. “Mama Vilma was telling me, ‘Huminga ka, sabayan mo ako!’ I was supposed to be dead but I got so carried away by Mama Vilma’s acting that I cried. Patay na pero umiiyak!”

Maja is the only child of Ross and Thelma Andres who has nine other children by her current husband. When Maja was small, she was brought to Aparri by her mom. She was seven years old when she saw her father again, followed seven years later when they met again on The Buzz.

From laid-back Aparri to the crazy world of showbiz. How did you adjust to the change of pace?

“When I entered showbiz, I was ready for the major changes in my life. I’m happy that my career is going great.”

How do you deal with temptations in showbiz — you know, letting love get in the way of your work?

“Having a boyfriend can wait. I always remember that. I have goals in life and that’s what I always bear in mind. I’m a basically sweet person and some guys mistake it for something else.”

Are you and Jason Abalos, your perennial loveteam-mate, only friends or more than that?

“Friends lang talaga kami.”

What kind of diet do you have?

“I can’t stop eating rice lalo na kapag masarap ang ulam. My favorite dish is sinigang na hipon or kahit anong klaseng luto ng hipon. Junk food? I’m not fond of it.”

How much water do you take everyday?

“Not much. I take some juices but what I drink is lots of Coke. That’s for energy especially if I have to shoot overnight.”

Favorite fruit?

“Mango and apple.”

What about your workout?

“I work out at the gym when I have time. Otherwise, I try to control my food intake.”

Do you apply anything on your skin?

“None. Every now and then I get a body scrub at The Belo Clinic.”

And how much sleep do you get per night?

“If I’m lucky, six hours. Otherwise, only about four.”

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“Magtanggal ng make-up.”

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

“Take a bath.”

How do you unwind?

“I stroll in the mall and window-shop. Or I listen to music. I prefer love songs. My favorite singer is Regine Velasquez kasi she cries everytime she sings. My favorite song is What About Love (by Lemar).”

What have you splurged on lately?

“I bought a car and a laptop. They are not luxuries; they are necessities.”

What about clothes?

“I prefer Folded & Hung, that’s why I’m endorsing it. Folded & Hung has everything for everybody — may pang-sexy, may pang-sweet, may pang-casual.”

Being Salvador, you really dreamed to be an actress, right?

“No. What I really wanted to be was a supermodel. During family gatherings, I would stand on the table and sing, I want to be a supermodel...”

What kind of childhood did you have?

“Masaya even if I went through hardships. You know, marami kaming utang-utang. We were not really poor but we were not rich either. I went through a hard life as a child so I know that I have to work hard to have a better future. Other kids’ problems were limited to which clothes they were going to wear, because they had so many. But with me, the big question on my mind was, kelan ko kaya makikita ang Papa ko?  I would say, pag laki ko, I’ll build a house for him and my mom. You know, as a child, I lived with my mom’s four siblings, palipat-lipat ako, and they treated me well. My dream is to build each of them a house once I have enough money.”

Aren’t you bitter toward your dad?

“No, I’m not. What for? Kung hindi sa kanya, hindi ako mabubuhay, di ba?”

Sino sa mga Salvador ang kapareho mo?

“Sabi nila, si Tita Mina (Aragon, the late wife of Viva big boss Vic del Rosario Jr.). Everytime the Salvadors see me, they would say, ‘Naku, Minang-Mina ang mukha mo!’”

What part of your body is your favorite?

“My feet, kasi magaling ako sumayaw. eh!”

What part is most vulnerable?

“My back.”

And what part do you think needs improvement?

“None!”

What part of a boy’s body do you look at first?

“His eyes.”

Your happiest moment?

“When I met my dad. We hugged and hugged, and cried and cried.”

And your saddest moment?

“Everytime I’m at a party. Why? When I see a happy family, na buong-buo sila, I would wonder, ano kaya ang pakiramdam ng may Tatay at may Nanay sa bahay, na buo ang pamilya n’yo...”

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