Maja Salvador praises Kathryn Bernardo for intense sampal-sapak scene

The actress recalls Kathryn’s hesitation but applauds her commitment, backs KathReid chemistry in upcoming series “Someone Someday.”

Actress Maja Salvador praised Kathryn Bernardo for her professionalism during a “sampal-sapak” confrontation scene in the upcoming series “Someone Someday,” recalling how the emotionally charged moment pushed both of them as performers.

Speaking at the show’s media conference, Salvador shared that Bernardo initially hesitated to execute the slapping sequence.

“Nakita niyo naman ‘yong sampal-sapak, ayaw ni Kathryn. Takot siya, ayaw niya. Sabi ko ‘no kailangan mong gawin, gawin mo na para tapos na,’” she said.

Despite her reservations, Bernardo went through with the scene, earning admiration from Salvador for her willingness to fully commit.

“Sarap,” Salvador quipped. “Ang sarap makita na game siya after at ibibigay niya ang eksena.”

The project marks Salvador’s much-anticipated acting comeback as Abi, a role she described as both exciting and overwhelming. She said the experience has been made more meaningful by the cast’s strong sense of collaboration.

“Our set is very collaborative, and my co-actors are very generous, sobrang generous,” she shared.

Salvador emphasized that there was no “sapawan” on set, crediting Bernardo for helping cultivate a supportive environment where each actor gets their moment.

“Very collaborative ang atmosphere namin sa set kaya walang sapawan at may kani-kaniya kaming eksena, may kani-kaniya kaming moments,” she added.

She also expressed support for the fresh pairing of Bernardo and James Reid, popularly known as “KathReid,” saying viewers can expect strong chemistry between the two.

“Masasabi kong KathReid ako,” Salvador said, noting that audiences may be surprised by how well the tandem works.

To maintain intensity in their scenes, Salvador said she would remind Bernardo to stay in character once filming began.

“Hindi ako si Ate Maj,” she said, referring to how she separates their off-screen friendship from their on-screen roles.