Text message courtship not enough for Julia Barretto

Julia Barretto

Want to win Julia Barretto’s love? Don’t just text her.

According to the young actress, she still prefers the traditional way of courtship.

Julia however acknowledged that exchanging text messages with another person is one way to effectively get to know each other.

“I like a good mix, actually,” she stressed. “It really makes me feel good whenever I get messages asking me how I am doing at work or if I’d already eaten dinner. It means the guy is very thoughtful; that he really cares. But if I like him, I’d also want him to be close to my family.”

The central plot of Julia’s latest film, “Vince & Kath & James,” revolves around the courtship of Vince (Joshua Garcia) and Kath (Julia) as seen through their exchanges of text messages.

The Theodore Boborol film is an official entry in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which begins on Dec. 25.

“I’m excited. This will be my first time to experience the MMFF. My family and I will be touring the theaters in Metro Manila on Christmas Day,” she said.

The film is derived from the hit online romantic series “Vince & Kath.” The original version presented its plot in the form of screenshots of the text messages between its main characters, making it an extremely popular social-serye that was followed by countless online readers. Star Cinema recently acquired rights to the very popular series and developed it into a motion picture.

The film adaptation gives a refreshing and exciting twist with the addition of James (Ronnie Alonte).

Julia said she was happy to be given the opportunity to work with Joshua and hoped that her supporters would embrace their tandem.

“I’m now used to being paired with different guys. I look at this as part of my job as an actress,” she shared with the Inquirer. “I’m glad that we have already built a fan base even before the film gets shown.”

Julia said she saw in Joshua—a former housemate in the reality show “Pinoy Big Brother”—the passion for his craft. “He is driven as an actor. He is genuine and sincere as a coworker. It felt good to know that once you’re on the set, you’re assured that someone will be there to take care of you.”

She said the sweetest thing Joshua did for her was to ask her to be his date for the Star Magic Ball in October. “I have been attending the ball solo for seven years. I got used to walking on the red carpet on my own. I felt guilty because I might have left him behind,” she quipped.

Julia hopes to make her father, comedian Dennis Padilla, proud of her performance in the romantic-comedy film.

“He’s a comedian. I want to know his reaction. I want him to give me pieces of advice. I hope he will have time to see me here,” the 19-year-old actress told reporters.

Julia and Dennis had a rift in 2015 when she filed a petition in court to legally drop her father’s surname.

The actress, whose real name is Julia Francesca Baldivina, patched things up with her dad only last May.