Julia on rumored bf Coco: He’s such a bully

Julia Montes

If she were to rate Coco Martin as a director, actress Julia Montes said she would give her rumored boyfriend a 10.

Coco produced, directed and starred in the latest version of the fantasy-adventure flick, “Ang Panday.”

“I’m proud of him. He’s a talented guy. He has an eye for filmmaking even though he has no formal training. For a first-time director, he exceeded my expectations,” Julia told the Inquirer during the press conference for her new drama series “Asintado,” airing on ABS-CBN.

However, Julia pointed out that after working with him on three TV series and a movie, she still couldn’t imagine Coco as her director.

“He’s such a bully. He enjoys teasing me, so I don’t know if that would work,” said Julia, laughing.

Not jealous

She then quickly denied the rumor that she was jealous of Coco’s “Ang Panday” leading lady, Mariel de Leon.

“The film’s casting is perfect, so why would I be jealous? It would be so selfish of me to still insist on being a part of it. I get to work with other Kapamilya actors, too, so it’s perfectly fine that Coco gets paired with other girls.”

Coco plays opposite Yassi Pressman in the action-adventure series, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.”

Asked if she would give Coco the same rating as a potential boyfriend, Julia answered in the affirmative.

“He is kind, loving and thoughtful not just to me, but also to other people he works with. That makes him perfect,” she declared.

However, Julia stressed that Coco was more of a “mentor” than a lover to her.

“He guides me. I consult him on just about anything—even when I bought my house,” she said. “We have a unique relationship. We’re not just close because we’re working on a project together. We make sure to communicate, no matter how busy we are.”

Actual training

These days, Julia’s work in “Asintado” takes up a lot of her time. For her role as Anna Dimasalang, a paramedic, she had to undergo actual training on emergency medical services. She just recently began training in the use of firearms, too.

Anna eventually saves Paulo Avelino’s character, Gael Ojeda, in a mining accident, and they fall in love.

“A lot can be expected from this series. I’m so used to doing characters who just cry and exact revenge through words. Everything here is new to me, especially because my role is very physical,” she pointed out.

“Justice is for any gender—that’s what’s clear in ‘Asintado.’”

The series, which also stars Aljur Abrenica and Shaina Magdayao, airs weekdays in the Kapamilya Gold afternoon block.