It's tough to shine alongside powerhouse co-stars like Janine Gutierrez, Edu Manzano, and Maricel Soriano, but in the revenge-drama series “Lavender Fields,” Analain Salvador nails it with finesse. Analain plays Edu's daughter and Janine's stepsister, Heather Buenavidez, who's haunted by the guilt of a crime she committed.
The role has required her to study what it's like to portray a kontrabida with a touch of madness, and so far, she's absolutely loving every minute of it.
Although Analain admits that she still reads mixed comments from viewers, she’s grateful for the praise and uses the scrutiny she sees online as motivation. “I take criticisms well. As an actor, talagang dapat natututo tayo every time may pagkakamali, or may tama man, dapat lagi pa rin natututo,” she shares. But despite the mixed reactions, she’s grateful for how her character has resonated with audiences. “I didn’t expect everyone to hate Heather that much,” she laughs, admitting that she didn’t realize just how intense the impact of her on-screen persona would be.
Analain was handpicked for the role. In this episode of Kapamilya Chat, she takes us back to May, when she was training for the Star Magic All-Star Games and received a call from her handler, who told her that she had landed a new role in “Lavender Fields” alongside Edu and Janine, and that she would need to be eloquent in speaking English for the character. With just these details, Analain didn’t ask any further questions; instead, she jumped at the opportunity. After all, she had missed acting since her iWantTFC project, “Bola Bola,” wrapped nearly two years ago.
At first, Analain had no idea that Heather was actually the one viewers had been eagerly searching for as the culprit behind Marigold (Kate Alejandrino)'s death. She didn’t know she was setting herself up for such a challenge. But no challenge is too big for Analain, who is fearless when it comes to taking on tough roles, though she admits that playing Heather is far from easy. "Masakit sa ulo," she laughs, especially with scenes showing Heather's psychological instability.
“Hindi naman kasi ako baliw in real life,” she chuckles. “Ang hirap i-play ni Heather kasi she goes crazy, daddy’s girl, and then nakapatay. Challenging, pero ang sarap sa feeling 'pag nagagawa mo 'yung scene nang maayos."
What makes it easier for Analain, however, is the generosity of her co-stars. She’s lucky that it’s not difficult to shake off Heather’s heavy emotions after each take, especially when she’s acting alongside Edu, who never fails to make her laugh with his natural antics once the cameras stop rolling.
Meanwhile, Janine is incredibly caring, especially before intense scenes. Analain shares that Janine, or Ate Nini as she likes to call the more senior actress, would always initiate a collaboration by clearly communicating where the slap would land or how she’d grab her in physical scenes. And she tells Janine to make the 'sampal' strong and real so she can feel the emotions. Besides, they both understand that everything that happens on camera is just part of the job. And once the director calls "cut," they slip back into their real-life sisterly bond—a connection that was built when they worked together on “Marry Me, Marry You” in 2021. "Gano'n pa rin siya. Mabait si Ate Nini, laging nangungumusta, nagbibigay ng food," she fondly talks about her co-actress.
Playing a character with such weight and depth, Analain puts in a lot of preparation to fully internalize Heather. One of the techniques she uses is immersing herself in her character's emotions, especially when it comes to portraying Heather's panic attacks.
"I usually walk around and minsan hinihirapan kong huminga para mas kita. So, kung nakikita n'yo 'yung mga nginig ko do'n, totoong nginig po 'yun. Kasi ang hirap umakting ng panic attack," she reveals. Laughing a bit nervously, she adds, "Nagpa-panic talaga ako kasi 'pag hindi ko nagawa, mapapagalitan ako. So, at the back of my head, may halo siyang kaba at pagkabaliw talaga."
It was such a rollercoaster experience for Analain in the series, full of surprises and plot twists—not just in the narrative, but also in her portrayal. Since the writers didn’t give them a final script beforehand, she was just as shocked as we were by how intense Heather’s insane moments can get.
When asked what her message to Heather would be, Analain can’t help but laugh and say, “Mali 'yung ginawa mo, first of all.” She adds in jest, “Grabe si Heather! Ang sama ng ugali!”
But she ended up loving playing the villain, which she’s trying for the first time in this series. Having always looked up to the late Cherie Gil, she’s now more than eager to take on more ‘kontrabida’ assignments. "No'ng natikman ko na po 'yung role, parang, ‘Wow, I want more,’" she says. On that note, she dreams of working alongside Angelica Panganiban, who is adored for her feisty portrayals. She also finds Jodi Sta. Maria's vengeful character, Jasmin/Lavender, incredibly interesting and would love the opportunity to explore and play with such a role.
Also making her experience on “Lavender Fields” even more of an honor is getting to share the screen with the icon Maricel Soriano, who plays Marigold’s mother in the series. For Analain, it’s a dream come true to work with someone she has long admired. She remembers their first meeting on set, where she introduced herself to Maricel, and she instantly felt at ease thanks to the Diamond Star’s naturally loving and nurturing presence.
Right now, Analain is simply enjoying the challenge of portraying the fierce and complicated Heather. She’s also cherishing the friendships and bonding moments with her co-stars, especially since the set always feels like a party. The festive mood is always there, thanks to their shared love for food trips. It’s clear that no matter how intense the scenes get, there’s always time for a little fun and good food to keep the work enjoyable.