Julia Barretto says she’s ‘outgrown’ Joshua Garcia

MANILA, Philippines — Julia Barretto wants to play more mature roles now that she has already “outgrown” acting with former love team partner Joshua Garcia as her leading man.

“Yes,” Barretto answered on Wednesday during the press conference of her upcoming series “I Am U”  when asked if she had outgrown Garcia in terms of being in a love team with him.

Earlier, Barretto said that she would want to pursue “edgier” roles.

Asked how she felt about Garcia still venturing into the love team phase, Barretto said: “I think his choice to still be in that path or the choice to still be in that path in his career, which is in the love team phase, I respect that.”

“Ako kasi (For me), I think I’ve graduated from that phase. And I’m very happy to be already in that phase in my career na mas mature na yung mga nagagawa ko, mas marami na akong nakaka-trabaho and mas-free na po ako sa pagpipili ng projects (I’m more mature with what I do and I get to work with more people and I’m more free in choosing my projects),” she added.

But if given the opportunity to work with him again, Barretto said she was open to the idea.

“Pero siguro (But I think) [that’s] in the far future pa kasi (because) I’m still working on Julia as an individual and Julia as the actress,” she added.

Barretto and Garcia previously collaborated in the Mikhail Red zombie film “Block Z. ”

Aside from “Block Z,” Garcia enjoyed success with his new love team partner Janella Salvador in the recently concluded “The Killer Bride.”

“I’m so happy for the two of them,” Barretto said on the sidelines of the press conference.

“Happy ako kay Josh kasi nakaka-maintain siya sa ganung path (I am happy for Josh because he maintained that path) ,” she said of Garcia.

The actress likewise said that she too was “genuinely” happy for Salvador.

“Dati kasi pinagu-usapan namin yung mga pangarap namin dalawa; yung mga gusto naming maabot; yung mga gusto naming ma-experience; yung mga path na gusto naming mapuntahan. Just watching her from afar and being able to do these things, proud ako sa kanya and pinagpe-pray ko rin siya,” she added of Salvador.

(Before, we used to talk about our dreams, what we want to achieve, what we want to experience, our path that we want to take. Just watching her from afar to do these things, I’m very happy for her and I will continue to pray for her.)

/atm