julia barretto
After 11 years in the business, a real blockbuster of a film fest entry, constant TV time, and a lot more to come in the latter half of 2017, Julia Barretto’s hitting her best stride—and cheerfully sacrificing sleep
Julia Barretto is still in her TV makeup when she arrives at our cover shoot on a gloomy Sunday afternoon during the Independence Day long weekend. Comfortably dressed down in a fitted black tank top, tights, and athletic sandals, she enters the spacious flat in Cubao donning an infectious smile that is a stark contrast to the stormy weather. It’s been a long day, but Julia is unfazed. She courteously greets everyone in the room one by one—and gives makeup artist Lala Flores a big hug—before quickly sitting down to have her hair and makeup done.
As she chats with the team, she removes her TV makeup to reveal a bare face and fatigued eyes It’s unday The only day of the week when she’s not taping her teleserye A Love to Last or shooting an unnamed upcoming lm with her onscreen partner Joshua arcia 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 a m to 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 “ arretto with the showbiz dynasty Anyone who has turned on a television is well aware that 20-year old Julia arretto is the daughter of actress-turned-politician Marjorie arretto and actor-comedian ennis adilla, and the niece of actress retchen arretto and ’ 0s teleserye queen Claudine arretto 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 arretto aldivia 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 er 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 he admits, “I’m tired of being asked all the time, o you feel any pressure being a arretto?’ he 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 nally perks up when I mention that her Instagram account juliabarretto is the rst result that appears when you search “ arretto on oogle he’s thoroughly surprised, and she ashes a grin as she exclaims, “That’s a good thing howing a rare glimpse of her unguarded self, she’s still hesitant to admit she may have grown to become the “main arretto of her generation
Julia has been acting since she was nine years old he 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 shbowl—being like a sh 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 er shield slips for a split second when she rests her head on the sheets er big, piercing eyes ght to stay open as she tells herself, “I’m not tired I’m not sleepy e ask her what song we can play to help her stay awake he picks Ariana rande’s One Last Time, the same song she performed earlier that day on ASAP inging 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
er lm career took off last year when she starred in Vince and Kath and James (VKJ) ot only did the lm garner accolades—like the Children’s Choice Award at the 20 Metro Manila Film Festival and Most romising Actress and Actor from the ox f ce ntertainment Awards for her and Joshua respectively—it was also the 42nd MMFF’s highest-grossign lm VKJ was also her rst lm with ex- Pinoy Big Brother housemate Joshua arcia, followed by a touching episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya earlier this February ith 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 undays, and tapings of A Love to Last now added to her plate, Julia is busier than ever
hen I see her typing on her phone in between out t changes and hair and makeup retouching, I ask the inevitable question about her palpable chemistry with Joshua arcia he looks up and cheekily remarks, “ ou’re trying to get something out of me he then proceeds to tell me, “ e’re just honest about our feelings for each other, and I think that registers on screen he 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 ath iel and Liz uen I ask her what her game plan is with JoshLia “ e 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
he mentions their upcoming lm, written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, as fresh, unique, and a “rollercoaster ride he’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