From sexy to rough

MANILA, Philippines - “Extremely happy” is how Maja Salvador feels about getting a new project on ABS-CBN after her last TV acting stint, Bridges of Love, ended weeks ago. It was in the recently-concluded soap where televiewers had seen her portray for the first time a club star dancer.

In her new show, ABS-CBN and Dreamscape’s remake of the Fernando Poe Jr. blockbuster film, Ang Probinsyano, Maja temporarily sheds off her sexy image to give life to her role as a tough police officer. Coco Martin plays the title role.

According to Maja, she feels happy not only because she will be working with Coco anew but also for their supporters who waited for four and a half years to see them together again in one TV project. “Sobrang proud ako sa mga fans namin who continue to support us even if we were working in different projects and they’re just there tirelessly waiting for us to be reunited. Now that we are together in Ang Probinsyano, I’m more than happy to give my best for them.”  

Maja and Coco’s team-up hit well with televiewers first in Nagsimula sa Puso and followed by Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin, where their onscreen pairing gained a huge following, despite the absence of a real-life love affair. Their tandem was so effective that their supporters coined a uni-name for them — Cocojam.

 “I admit, we were not close in Nagsimula sa Puso probably due to our respective roles na may sariling mundo,” shares Maja. Their closeness began in Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin where Maja still vividly remembers how she kept on asking Coco how to effectively play her part. “I was like the female version of Robin Padilla in that show; rebelde ako dun so no choice si Coco na kahit kulitin ko s’ya kahit di kami nagte-take so dun na break yung ice na pag kinukulit ko si Coco nagiging makulit na rin siya hanggang sa nag-simula na ‘yung closeness namin.”

As for the positive response of the viewers to their team-up, the 26-year-old Star Magic talent credits it to their passion in acting. “’Pag gumagawa kami ng project, siguro nakikita nila yung grabe ang ibinibigay namin sa roles namin; talagang tinatanggal ko si Maja at yung karakter ko ang nakikita nila.” Coco, she adds, is so intense with his acting.

Truth is, Maja has learned an acting tip or two from Coco. She relates that the actor embraces his every character as if it’s his last. “You can really see the determination in him. He has this style of mulling over the role; meron s’yang ‘wait lang po muna 10 seconds’ and we joked about it as ‘proseso’ because we will process our roles first so we can portray them without a hitch. Si Coco, inaalam pa rin n’ya ang pinanggalingan ng character n’ya, ganun s’ya kadetalyado.”

Asked if it’s possible for love to bloom between them, Maja replies, “Let’s see, naka-lock pa kasi ang puso ko. Trabaho na lang muna kami ni Coco kasi lalo na ngayon parang mahirap isingit ang landian sa taping, ang lovelife kasi mga pulis kami. Parang mahirap mag-landian habang nag-a-action, action kami.” 

But Maja stresses that she has no trauma from her previous relationship with Gerald Anderson. She just wants to enjoy her being single. It can be recalled, too, that Maja and Coco were romantically linked while doing Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin but the actress was then in a relationship with Matteo Guidicelli.

“No one can stop anyone from falling in love but now I’m focused on my work. Matatanggal lang yan (lock) pag andyan na (love) talaga.”

What matters to Maja more these days is how to handle her role as a police officer effectively. “I got excited when they pitched to me the role although I’ve already played a rebel before, this time as a tough police officer so I need to have a different approach.”

Dreamscape exec Biboy Arboleda says Maja can easily reinvent herself without too much effort and “she is not afraid to go beyond her comfort zone.”