t 38 on the cover F As she chats with the team, she removes her TV makeup to reveal a bare face and fatigued eyes. It’s Sunday. The only day of the week when she’s not taping her teleserye A Love to Last or shooting an unnamed upcoming film with her onscreen partner Joshua Garcia. It’s also the only day of the week that she could have been in bed early; her work schedule for the other six days of the week typically runs from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. There are countless excuses she could’ve easily used to get some much needed rest, but she didn’t make any. Instead, she’s chosen to come to our shoot, and she even discloses that she’s booked for another shoot after ours. It’s almost impossible not to associate the name “Barretto” with the showbiz dynasty. Anyone who has turned on a television is well aware that 20-year old Julia Barretto is the daughter of actress-turned-politician Marjorie Barretto and actor-comedian Dennis Padilla, and the niece of actress Gretchen Barretto and ’90s teleserye queen Claudine Barretto. There isn’t a single interview with Julia that doesn’t mention the weight of her last name. The name she chose over her father’s stage name, and the one she chose to use despite being born Julia Francesca Barretto Baldivia. And just like everyone who has followed her career, Julia is conscious of the gravity that comes with her name—for better or for worse. Though she averages about two hours of sleep a night, her demeanor during the shoot is unaffected by her demanding schedule. Her 11 years in the industry have trained her to acclimate to the long hours of the career she’s decided to pursue. “It’s fun. I have no complaints. I mean, it gets tiring sometimes, I guess, but when you love what you do, it doesn’t really stop you,” she says. Then there’s the added pressure of living up to her family’s success. It’s something that has become both a curse and a blessing for her. She admits, “I’m tired of being asked all the time, ‘Do you feel any pressure being a Barretto?’” She then adds, “I’m always asked that, and it’s the same answer every time.” “Actually, it’s better now than before,” she admits, when asked if she feels like she is still in her family’s shadow. “I used to be bombarded with so many questions about them (her aunts) and it’s almost like, I thought I was here to be asked questions about myself, not about other people.” Clearly perturbed by the mere mention of her famous last name, she finally perks up when I mention that her Instagram account @juliabarretto is the first result that appears when you search “Barretto” on Google. She’s thoroughly surprised, and she flashes a grin as she exclaims, “That’s a good thing!” Showing a rare glimpse of her unguarded self, she’s still hesitant to admit she may have grown to become the “main Barretto” of her generation. Julia has been acting since she was nine years old. She uses one particular analogy to describe her life in showbiz, where the scrutiny can take its toll on her: “It’s like living in a fishbowl—being like a fish that everybody is watching over; waiting for you to make a mistake and then feast on it. It’s so hard to commit mistakes, even though it’s so normal to because you’re young and you’re just human.” At one point, when a basketball accidentally hits her head during our courtside shoot, she stays quiet and composed, seemingly unaffected by it and by the fans who seem to follow her while trying to shove their phones in front of her face, asking for pictures. Julia carries on until sundown with the same perky attitude that she possessed at the beginning of the day. It’s when the shoot moves to the bed that I catch a glimpse of an uncontrolled, candid Julia. Her shield slips for a split second when she rests her head on the sheets. Her big, piercing eyes fight to stay open as she tells herself, “I’m not tired! I’m not sleepy!” We ask her what song we can play to help her stay awake. She picks Ariana Grande’s One Last Time, the same song she performed earlier that day on ASAP. Singing along to the song, she switches back to work mode. As I watch her miming dance moves as she sings along, I can’t help but think that her whole life has become one big show she’s put on for others. Her film career took off last year when she starred in Vince and Kath and James (VKJ). Not only did the film garner accolades—like the Children’s Choice Award at the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival and Most Promising Actress and Actor from the Box Office Entertainment Awards for her and Joshua respectively—it was also the 42 nd MMFF’s highest-grossign film.. VKJ was also her first film with ex-Pinoy Big Brother housemate Joshua Garcia, followed by a touching episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya earlier this February. With a new movie by That Thing Called Tadhana director Antoinette Jadaone (Love You to the Stars and Back as of this writing), as well as ASAP on Sundays, and tapings of A Love to Last now added to her plate, Julia is busier than ever. When I see her typing on her phone in between outfit changes and hair and makeup retouching, I ask the inevitable question about her palpable chemistry with Joshua Garcia. She looks up and cheekily remarks, “You’re trying to get something out of me!” She then proceeds to tell me, “We’re just honest about our feelings for each other, and I think that registers on screen.” She continues, “I’m thankful for all the support from fans, and up to this day it’s still very overwhelming. This time last year, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be in the position that I’m standing in right now. I’m so glad that somebody like him came into my life for so many reasons.” The duo, dubbed JoshLia by both the industry and the fans, is on its way to being showbiz’s next “it” love team to join the likes of KathNiel and LizQuen. I ask her what her game plan is with JoshLia. “We don’t have a game plan, we just want to continue being honest. I don’t even think there’s any point in comparing us with other love teams because each love team has their own magic,” she says. “Love teams make a lot of people happy. They make a lot of people believe in love. That’s a good thing; they have a good effect on people, especially the younger generation. Joshua and I are just focusing on what we have and what we’re trying to create with what we’ve built together. I want us to be known as the acting love team.” She mentions their upcoming film, written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, as fresh, unique, and a “rollercoaster ride.” She’s thrilled about the idea of portraying a character that is out of the box. “I’m playing a girl who believes in aliens,” she explains, hence the s b fi o o f @ fi u “ t S a
wn. When I mention the juliabarretto is the p when you Google he just flashes me with grin and cheerfully ed up of being asked 39 on the cover ime and time again i he feels pressured fo eing BENCH sweater, a Glorietta 4 Barretto, she’ nally ready to step ou f the shadow and be he act that her Instagram rst thing that come Barretto,” she’ horoughly surprised
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