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Maja Salvador Is Ready to Step Into Her Dream Role
With Rambo Nunez on her side, Maja Salvador has accepted the role of a lifetime—one that she has admittedly always prayed for.
Published Jul 31, 2023
After a 20-year-long career in the entertainment industry, Maja Salvador is now entering her uncharted yet exhilarating era: being a happily married woman.
The name Maja Salvador rings a choir of bells for the Filipino film and TV-viewing public, but more often than not, it’s hidden under the guise of many roles. After all, the multi-faceted performer has graced the screen for two decades now, and Maja is who can likely be deemed a poster child of household names.
But in the sea of credentials that name her as Cara, Trisha, Ivy, or what have you, her dream role stands on unfamiliar territory, and one she’s only recently held: Maja, as the happily married woman.
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Maja Salvador for Preview August 2023
Something Old, Something New
Much in the ways of the industry, her years of filling the shoes of several fictional personas came with a slew of love team partnerships. Reality, however, has handed her a permanent life partner in the form of Rambo Nuñez, who she affectionally calls “Bo.” But like the teleseryes she stars in, their relationship came with a helping of plot twists, along with a touch of starry-eyed destiny grounded in reality.
The pair’s romance began sometime in 2010, when a budding spark developed into a connection that lasted a few months. Life, however, got in the way, as a committed relationship was placed on the back burner in exchange for responsibilities that two twentysomethings had to grapple with—one being an artista, and the other with his business ventures.
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But in 2018, several random run-ins with each other felt like glaring signs that, in hindsight, were likely providence at work. After glimpses at airports and an Instagram DM that was met with silence, a chance meeting at a gym would lead Rambo to ask whether or not she still had the same number. The rest was history, and fate would soon guide them to the picturesque island of Bali, Indonesia, where the two would exchange their wedding vows.
Maja muses about these slices of fate years later. “Minsan kasi, pag sinabi mo ‘destiny,’ ’yun ’yung napapanood natin sa pelikula. But we need to admit na, iba ang reality. ’Pag nanonood ka ng mga TV series, parang ang sarap ma-in love,” she says.
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“Ang totoo kasi, part [ang conflict] ng mga relationship, and depende ’yan kung gaano ka committed sa partner mo, sa sarili mo, sa promise mo ’dun sa relationship mo, [at] sa responsibilities and obligations mo. So, yes, I do believe in destiny, pero may kasamang kilos at galaw.”
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The first ties to marriage of their reignited romance unfolded during an Easter proposal in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, where a children’s egg hunt acted as the perfect disguise for Rambo to get down on one knee. A genuinely surprised Maja would take time to process reality after the cameras rolled, as her mind repeated the same message to herself like a wake-up call: She was actually engaged, and this was as real as it gets.
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To her, it was somewhat of a life achievement, especially with Rambo by her side. “Parang, i-ta-tap mo rin ’yung sarili mo na, ‘Good job, Maja. Tama ’yung pagpili mo kay Rambo na magkabalikan kayo ulit.’ Because he’s the one for you,” she reflects.
“’Nung na engaged na, parang may nagawa ka nang tama sa buhay mo. May nagawa ka na magandang desisyon, at mas nagbubunga ng maganda.”
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The Wedding of Her Dreams
After months of preparation and a potential location list that included Switzerland and Amanpulo, the couple settled on the Apurva Kempinski in Bali as the backdrop of their destination wedding. Several special memories are attached to the island for Maja, who says that her big day is the 15th time she visits it. To her, Bali had the allure of the Philippines, without the after-effects that come with celebrityhood. “Nakakalakad ako mag-isa,” she says.
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A younger Maja would say that her dream wedding was set on the shores of a beach, and this was the realization of it. In its totality, the event was her fantasies wrapped up in a couple of days, from the dress down to the nitty-gritty details. “’Yung nakita ko ’yung invitation, my gowns, my shoes, parang andun ’yung [feeling na] mangyayari na talaga. Sinabi ni Rambo na, ‘I'll give you the best wedding, your dream wedding.’ It's really happening, talagang bibigay niya.”
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Her ceremonial dress served as a fusion of that childlike dream with an homage to her reality of the past two decades. Calling her momentous Zuhair Murad gown something that leaned on more “simple” and timeless sensibilities, Maja considers that it was a notable decision with a history of frivolous red carpet ensembles. “For 20 years in the industry lagi akong naka ball gown,” she says. “Nung namimili ako ng wedding gown ko, gusto ko ako, as a normal na tao. Normal na bride, hindi artista na bride.”
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Maja’s entourage comprised people she connected with while under the spotlight, as well as those from behind the scenes. With a seeming pact to be by Maja’s side, the actress’ matrons of honor included her older sister Luchi and her high school best friend Kaye. Meanwhile, those who carried the badge as her men of honor were her brother Kirby, and actor and long-time friend John Lloyd Cruz, who she now handles with her talent agency Crown Artist Management.
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Alongside bridesmaids like Kathryn Bernardo, Maine Mendoza, Kakai Bautista, and her real-life relative Janella Salvador, Maja’s entourage was witness to her entering her first steps into marriage, with a message prefaced during her bachelorette party. “Nakakatakot kasi wala ka sa set, [na] may marami kang chances para gawin ang tama. Etong new journey, wala nang mag-cu-cut.”
Meet the Missus
The topic of marriage is a fickle one, and those who came before us can wax poetic about its woes and the underlying beauty of two people vowing for an eternity of togetherness. Much has been said about it, but for brides like Maja, it’s inevitable that the fear of the unknown lingers in the lines of excitement.
The past plays a vital part in how someone views marriage, after all, and Maja isn’t exempt. She wasn’t one to view it with rose-colored glasses all the time, given that she grew up with only her mom as a fixture, as her parents separated when she was only a baby.
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Despite this, her dream stood solid–she wanted a family of her own. While she’s all love and praise for single parents like her mom, Maja still wonders about her own future children, and the upbringing she wants them to know. “May takot talaga,” she confesses. “Pinagpe-pray [ko] na magtuloy-tuloy na ma-bless ako ng isang magandang marriage para hindi ma-experience ng mga anak ko kung ano ’yung na-experience ng mommy ko.”
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Growing up, the fear lingered, but to Maja, a person’s views on marriage is in a constant state of flux. In her case, Rambo was an important wild card in the mix. “Magbabago talaga ’yun, pag nahanap mo ’yung tamang guy. Kahit na parang feeling mo, sobrang solid ka na sa desisyon mo na ayaw mo talaga,” she says.
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In the hypothetical future we’re considering in this conversation, Maja Salvador, the married woman, has distinctive traits that differentiate her from Maja Salvador, the single artista. But don’t get it wrong: They aren’t separate entities, as these two parts of herself were having a union of sorts, too. The unmarried Maja of before was a workaholic, she admits. Being wedded and having a family of her own would warrant some leeway for that.
“Gusto ko naman may time with them, ayaw ko nang puro lang ako work,” she says. “Kaya ako nagpapakapagod ngayon kasi, pag may kids na, gusto ko gampanan ko talaga ’yung role ko, na maging wife at maging isang mommy. ’Yun ’yung pinaka dream role ko rin, sa lahat-lahat.”
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But this doesn’t mean she’ll forgo her previous life entirely. Things are changing in the current state of the local entertainment industry, and women entering into marriage is hardly a career death sentence. “Dati, pag kinasal ka na, wala na. Papahinga na yan. Mababawasan na ’yung offers, at mababawasan na ’yung mga interesado sa ’yo,” she expresses.
There was initial fear, but she’s grateful that the situation hasn’t waned for her. With a coy response hinting at a packed slate sometime in the future, Maja says that she’s currently deliberating between a couple of movie offers. Of course, they’ll only be dealt with after her wedding and their ensuing honeymoon in Europe.
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“Nandito na ako sa panahon na I can balance everything,” she says. “I can choose if gusto kong mag-focus sa Crown, I can choose kung gusto kong maging artista, [kung] gagawa ako ng pelikula, gusto kong maging host lang, or gusto kong magpaka-asawa lang. Sobrang thankful ako na may gano'n ako ngayon.”
With her string of characters that have helped define her 20-year career and the accolades to prove it, Maja Salvador knows how to work a role. Whatever’s up for her future in her newly minted part as a married woman, her history is proof enough—she’ll pull out all the stops, and she’ll likely be triumphant.
Produced and Styled by The Preview Team
Photographer: Andrea Genota, assisted by Joey Alvero
Creative Director: Bacs Arcebal
Editor-in-Chief: Marj Ramos-Clemente
Production: Reg Rodriguez, Katrina Maisie Cabral
Fashion: Marj Ramos-Clemente, Reg Rodriguez, Isha Fojas
Makeup: Denise Ochoa
Hair: Floren Torrontegui
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Nails: Extraordinail
Story: Katrina Maisie Cabral
Videos: Jana Jodloman
Social Media: Jamie Lou Briones
Shot on location at Legaspi Village, Makati City
Special thanks to XCEPTION Makati
* Editor’s note: No animals were harmed in the production of this cover.
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